The hit CBS competition show Survivor returns for its 42nd season on Wednesday, and fans of the show already have their favorite and least favorite contestants picked out.
Survivor fans know that it’s not just about having the athletic fortitude to beat the physical challenges, but players must also play a mental game with each other to balance the fine line of being well-liked but also not too well-liked to be seen as a threat. This means contestants will often lie to each other to play both sides. Survivor is as much of a psychological chess match as a survival game.
Who Is Most Likely To Win
According to the Oddsshark sports betting site, there are two favorites to win this upcoming season: 22-year-old Zach Wurtenberger and 29-year-old Jonathan Young.
Wurtenberger hails from South Florida and is a self-described super fan of the show. He believes his strengths are his speech and debate skills but feels his physical appearance could be his weak point, saying, “I don’t think anyone’s gonna be looking at me as, like, now, that’s the guy we gotta worry about. And I think they might be wrong. So, I’m hoping I’m gonna be able to sneak right through.”
Young owns a beach rental business in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and says he’s been planning his Survivor appearance for 14 years. He’s gunning to win the record for most immunity challenges wins and believes he could be best suited as a “leader-servant,” meaning he wants to lead the team by serving their needs through his Southern hospitality.
Least Likely To Win
19-year-old Swati Goel is a double threat with a Harvard education and experience in the Army National Guard, yet she is currently ranked last with the worst odds. But if Goel plays her cards right, being underestimated can be a huge advantage in this game.
One reason she ranks so low could be her lack of strategy prior to entering the game. “My strategy going into the game is sort of undefined,” she says during her introduction video. “For me, it makes sense to play it safe for the first few votes until I get a foothold, and then that’s when I go crazy.”
Sharing the bottom spot with Goel is a 43-year-old creative director from New York, Jenny Kim. She also has an undefined strategy plan going into the game. “My strategy is to hold back a little bit and see what and when the right time is to strike.”
Could it just be that women are routinely underestimated?
Remember on Survivor — it’s not over until it’s over. If you’d like to get a head start on the action, you can watch a sneak peek of the first four minutes at Entertainment Weekly. You can watch the premiere on Wednesday night at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.