Last December I created a dream cast for a Heroes vs Villains 2 season as I thought that would be a perfect theme for the 40th season. In the past Jeff Probst had hinted that an all winners season would be unlikely, but much to the delight of superfans, Martin Holmes announced last week that we are in for a highly anticipated season of all champions for the legendary 40th season.
I have created my dream cast of 10 males and 10 females for this season. I do think there is a decent chance of an 18 person cast especially since production may struggle to get female winners, so I'll note which male and female I'd remove if forced to.
MALES:
Richard Hatch (winner of Survivor: Borneo) -- It's to be expected that the cast will be somewhat new school-heavy (because new school winners are more likely to want to play again, and casual fans will remember them more), but I truly hope that there is also a good mix of old school winners in the cast. Hatch is a must for this season IMO. For the simple fact that he was the first ever winner and set the stage for everyone else to follow. More than anyone else, this cast would feel incomplete without Hatch. It'll also be very interesting to see how well he does in the game. On one hand, I think he could go far as he's not known as a strategic threat. On the other hand, he'd have SUCH a good story if he made it to the end, and I fear that he might not play very well in new school Survivor (ala Kelly Wiglesworth in Cambodia) so I do think he could go pre-merge. Regardless of how well he does, having him on the season (even for one episode) will make it so much more epic.
Yul Kwon (winner of Survivor: Cook Islands) -- It's well known that I'm a huge Yul fan and I have him ranked the second best winner in history. It's been a long time since he's played but he truly revolutionized gameplay and unlike Hatch I think he could adapt well to new school gameplay styles. Yul is one of those rare players that is truly a triple threat (social, strategic, physical). We just never really got to see his physical prowess in CI due to Ozzy dominating everything. I think Yul could be a sleeper pick for a very deep run this season.
Todd Herzog (winner of Survivor: China) -- Todd is another "must have" pick for this season IMO. He's in my Top 5 most wanted for this cast. He dominated strategically and played one of the best strategic games of the first 15 seasons. It's been well over 10 years since his season but he's still remembered as a legend. He's also gone through some not so wonderful things personally since China so to have him return to the game now that he's doing so well again would truly bring his story full circle. Not to mention the fact that I have no doubt he'd be a great new school player and add some awesome strategic entertainment to the season!
Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano (winner of Survivor: Redemption Island) -- Rob's here simply because he's a true legend. I'm not the biggest Mariano fan, but I do think this season will benefit explicitly from having as stacked a cast as possible, and there's no bigger legend than BRob. Heck, if he's on this season he'll be the first ever five time player! Not only will having legends add an awesome element to the season, the more of them we have the bigger shields they are for each other. If there were only one or two legends on the season, they'd probably be voted out immediately, but if there's a good number, they could hopefully protect each other.
John Cochran (winner of Survivor: Caramoan) -- I didn't hesitate picking Cochran for the cast simply because he'll add so much to the season. One (very small) downside to an all-winner cast is that it may be harder to cast different "archetypes", but Cochran certainly fills a unique one. I wouldn't be shocked to see Cochran out early since he's strategically strong but physically weak, but he'll be worth having on the cast anyway.
Tyson Apostol (winner of Survivor: Blood vs Water) -- Tyson is here for two reasons: first of all, like Cochran, he fills a pretty unique archetype and will had some much needed humor to this season. Secondly, his winning game in BvW was a piece of artwork and easily a top 10 winning game. Although BvW was his third season, coming off that big win his story doesn't feel totally complete, and I'd love to see how he could do on round number four now that he's really found his strategic footing.
Tony Vlachos (winner of Survivor: Cagayan) -- Tony's a must. He's probably the most legendary winner since Boston Rob. He's also incredibly entertaining and a true strategic powerhouse. I just hope and pray that we see him for more than one episode like Game Changers.
Adam Klein (winner of Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X) -- I'm not sure how many "fan casting" season 40 lists Adam is on but he was a LOCK for mine. I think I rank Adam just like most fans do, mid-tier, but on a personal level Adam is one of my very favorite players ever. I loved his story, I loved how emotional he allowed himself to be on the show, and despite having some serious gameplay flaws, I absolutely loved his style of play, partly because I think I would play pretty similarly if I were to ever play Survivor. He absolutely deserves another game and think this would be a season where he could excel.
*Ben Driebergen (winner of Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers) -- Ben is *d for the fact that if we get an 18 person cast and I have to cut a male, I'm cutting Ben. And it pains me to do it because I love Ben to bits but I feel like he's a less unique archetype than many of these guys, and would be less a standout character than some other folks. And don't get me wrong, I really hope Ben's on the cast because I do think he'll add a lot to the season, but if I have to cut one more guy, sorry Ben, it's you.
Wendell Holland Jr. (winner of Survivor: Ghost Island) -- I'm probably in the minority of fans putting Wendell on my list too, but I definitely think he fills a unique archetype -- the highly social, fairly strategic middle-aged african american male. I decided as soon as I was going to do this list that I'd cast one of the three winners of this archetype and it pained me to cut Earl and Jeremy, but I do think Wendell is the best choice. Simply for the fact that he's the most charismatic and interesting of these guys, and he also edges out Jeremy because I think he can do better than Jeremy as he has less of a target on his back than Jeremy would.
FEMALES:
Tina Wesson (winner of Survivor: Australian Outback) -- I'm a huge Tina fan and personally find her Blood vs Water game way underrated. She was this close to becoming a two time winner that season, and I wouldn't rule out her chances this season. She openly struggled adapting to the new school game in BvW, and the game has evolved even a lot more since then, so it'll be interesting to see how she'd fare!
Sandra Diaz-Twine (winner of Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Heroes vs Villains) -- Another MUST pick. The myth, the woman, the legend. The QUEEN. Unfortunately, Sandra will probably enter this season with a GIANT target on her back. But she made it farther than I thought she could in Game Changers, and God I hope she can do it again here because every minute Sandra's on my screen I am LIVING. She is as of now the best player to ever play the game, and I hope she can prove that she still deserves that title after this season.
Danni Boatwright (winner of Survivor: Guatemala) -- Danni is one of the more obscure winners and a bit of a "huh?" pick for this season, but she's on a lot of fan casting lists, and I completely stand by my choice of her for my cast. She was underrated in Guatemala and had more strategy than people give her credit for, plus she'll be a good social and strategic player in this cast full of strategic gamers.
Parvati Shallow (winner of Survivor: Micronesia) -- Parvati is another must pick IMO. Easily the second best to ever play as of right now, it'd be interesting to see her give Sandra a run for the title this season. Parvati will also enter the season with a huge target, but if anyone can deflate a target, Parv's probably the person for the job. If she could make a deep run, she'd have an awesome story at FTC.
*Sophie Clarke (winner of Survivor: South Pacific) -- Sophie is my female to drop for an 18 person cast. I'm honestly neutral to having her on the season, the only reason she's here at all is because there aren't that many female winners and she's better than some. I do think her game is semi-underrated too, and it's possible she could excel this season. The simple fact is that she's just really not that entertaining.
Kim Spradlin (winner of Survivor: One World) -- If the cast is released and does not include Kim, I'll be so disappointed. Superfans give her the credit she deserves for playing the fourth best winning game in history, but sadly casuals don't remember her for her brilliance. Hopefully this season can put her on the radar of ALL fans, and if she won again (which I think she could), she could easily (probably?!) rival Sandra for the all-time title.
Denise Stapley (Survivor: Philippines) -- What a player. What a winner. Denise is another triple threat and her amazing play was showcased by the fact that she survived Every. Single. Tribal. Council. I could easily see Denise making another deep run, and I'd dig it. Hopefully her tribe wins a challenge or two this time though.
Natalie Anderson (winner of Survivor: San Juan del Sur) -- She was almost cast for Game Changers. I hope she finally gets her second game now. Like Adam, she played a mid-tier but absolutely entertaining game in SJDS, and she's one of my personal favorite winners. If she plays hard again, she could be one of the standouts this season if she makes it far.
Michele Fitzgerald (winner of Survivor: Kaoh Rong) -- I hope Michele is cast for several reasons. First of all, this cast (any winner cast, really) is extremely stacked with strategic powerhouses so like Danni, Michele will help balance it out as a more social player. Also, I thought her win in Kaoh Rong was justified and deserved, but when she beat Aubry that was very controversial, and I think that she more than deserves a second chance to prove herself as the player she really is.
Sarah Lacina (winner of Survivor: Game Changers) -- The last person on the cast and the last MUST. It's no secret that I think Sarah's Game Changers game was pure brilliance and that she played the best single winning game in history. Could she do it again? I think she'll have a target, but she could deflate it, and if she did pull off another win, she's easily the best to ever play.
Well, folks, there we have it! My dream cast of winners! And I'm SO excited for the season given that I feel confident that a lot of these picks will make it on, and that there are some GREAT players that I didn't even "cast". Man, it really was tough leaving Brian, Tom, Mike, and Jeremy off. Gosh, I wish S40 started now. I'm so pumped!!
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