By Cho
Hello! The name is Cho, and Tamara has given me the opportunity to shower you all with my shady and sometimes insightful commentary on the 36th season of Survivor. With less than a week left to go, the press tour for Survivor Ghost Islands is already at full steam. Speaking of ghosts, let’s not waste any time critiquing these no-bodies!
MALOLO TRIBE (in order from left to right)
James Lim Age: 24
Current residence: New York, New York
Occupation: Business Analyst
This U.S. Presidential Scholar selected by President Obama’s administration reminds me a lot of past winner Yul Kwon, which is a good thing! He has a fantastic background in both academics and athletics. He will definitely be an overachiever.
Stephanie Gonzalez Age: 26
Current residence: Ocala, Florida
Occupation: Graphic Sales
Stephanie is officially the Phaedra Parks of this season with how many jobssss she claims to have. Not only does she run a logo company, but she apparently used to take care of “foaling babies (horses)” to make ends meet as well as work as a Senior Surgery Tech. She also claims to be growing some business with her brother as well as having a litany of other jobs. She’s quite the hustler, and I expect her to hustle her way through this game as well.
Jacob Derwin Age: 22
Current residence: Brooklyn, New York
I will be laughing with him and at him a lot this season. His Jew-fro is a feat in and of itself! The next feat is going to be if he has what it takes to get into a decent alliance to carry him. He will have trouble with the physical part of this game which is always tough for me to watch as a fellow gamer who spends most of his time indoors. His self-deprecating humor and unbridled excitement for the game will make him one of the more entertaining Survivors this season.
Brendan Shapiro Age: 41
Current residence: Herndon, Virginia
Occupation: Physical Education Teacher
He’s a hottie-ottie-ottie! I totally feel like I’d see him on the instagram account “DILFs of Disneyland”. Did you know such an account existed? You’re welcome. He’s been schmoozing with a lot of past Survivors on social media, most notably Chrissy from last season. Btw, don’t you think Chrissy was ROBBED? I do. You can fight me in the comments below, but I digress. I think this game is made for him based on how genuine he appears. He has the brains, beauty and brawn all in one nice 6-pack! His issue will be overcoming his innate threat-status if he makes it past the merge.
Laurel Johnson Age: 29
Current residence: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Occupation: Financial Consultant
She compares herself to season 12 winner, Todd Herzog. He had a serious battle with alcoholism shortly after winning. I actually interviewed him for my senior high school project. He’s one of my faaavorite winners. I don’t get a sense of strong social skills from her which could be a major handicap. She will have to depend on her athleticism and book smarts to take her far into the game.
Stephanie Johnson Age: 34
Occupation: Yoga Instructor
Current residence: Chicago, Illinois
Please go read her bio and watch her youtube intro. It’s hilarious. She LOVES wine and seems to have a penchant for dramatic storytelling. She also has a fantastic outlook on both the game and life. She’s loud, energetic and vivacious. She’s excited about what she’s going to wear, and honestly, she made me just as excited! Instantly someone I’m rooting for.
Michael Yerger Age: 18
Current residence: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Real Estate Agent
18-year old real estate agent from Knoxville moves to LA then gets recruited to be on Survivor. I can count on one hand how many people have jump-started successful entertainment careers from being on Survivor. I can also probably count on one hand how many houses he’s sold in L.A. He definitely looks like he’s pushing 30. I feel scammed. He’s almost guaranteed to be involved in a messy showmance.
Libby Vincek Age: 24
Current residence: Houston, Texas
Occupation: Social Media Strategist
She states Elisabeth Hasselbeck as who she’s most similar to. Her views on The View got her into hot water with the powers that be, but she’s always been a sweetheart in my head. She seems confident, smart and well-aware of how the game works. Her choice in Survivor favorites (winners Jenna, Natalie, Kim) is definitely a solid group of players. She has the opposite problem of someone like Brendan though: her challenge will be to gain the respect she deserves for her game. I am looking forward to seeing her play.
Jenna Bowman Age: 23
Current residence: Venice Beach, California
Occupation: Advertising Account Executive
They could have recruited better than this. She is originally from Detroit and highlights how the city is on the mend which I appreciate as I come from the “Little Sister of Detroit” AKA Toledo. She will almost for sure be a part of a showmance. How dreadful! Can someone find something interesting to say about her in the comments below? Thanks in advance.
Donathan Hurley Age: 26
Current residence: Kimper, Kentucky
Occupation: Caretaker
This flamboyantly gay superfan from Kentucky is going to give us quite the show in confessionals! I’m excited to see his character develop. He’s either going to take the mean-girl Colton route or the hilariously & relatable Jeff Varner route. Yes, I’ve trained by brain to only remember Jeff’s existence BEFORE his monumental mistake that made U.S. national news.
NAVITI TRIBE (in order from left to right)
Morgan Ricke Age: 29
Current residence: Orlando, Florida
Occupation: Marine Animal Trainer
Like me, she loves true-crime documentaries. I could list several from the I.D. Channel but that would need its own open forum post! You have to sort of be a paranoid person to love those shows, which doesn’t bode well for her in this game. I sometimes cover my webcam, and I also feel like I could be murdered by one of my best friends at any given moment! I found nothing else interesting about her, but I hope she proves me wrong…
Wendell Holland Age: 33
Current residence: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Furniture Company Owner
He has a trendy company that takes reclaimed wood and designs furniture out of it. He seems very laid back which will be helpful in such a high-stress situation. I can see him blending into the middle of the pack, which is exactly where you want to be in this game early on.
Angela Perkins Age: 42
Current residence: Cincinnati, Ohio
Occupation: Army Veteran
She’s an Army Vet with a lot of energy and a strong personality. She is both mentally and physically prepared for the game due to her background. She details some of the weird things she had to do during her service. She’s going to be extra af and play to the cameras. While that’s not a bad thing for us viewers, hopefully she isn’t too overzealous. She may have trouble withholding her aggressive and take-charge personality.
Chris Noble Age: 27
Current residence: Brooklyn, New York
Occupation: Male Model
I hope Versace didn’t book him with those frosted tips in his bio’s photo. He’s very proud of the self-reported fact that he gets paid a lot to do very little in terms of his modeling career. Charming, really! His goal is to be “the new flavor of the month”. Lofty goals there with this one! He will be nice to look at at least.
Desiree Afuyeon Age: 21
Current residence: Brooklyn, New York
Occupation: Student
First off, she’s gorgeous. But more importantly, she seems to be proud and confident about where she’s going in life. She’s already got a great story to tell having persevered through being homeless as well as other struggles. While she has an awesome story to tell the viewers, we will see if her social game is up to par like she thinks it will be.
Sebastian Noel Age: 22
Current residence: Satellite Beach, Florida
Occupation: Fishing Guide
He lists “loving” as a hobby and professes to being “in love with memories”. I’m OBSESSED with this hippy already! I hope he doesn’t get into a showmance or else that will ruin it for me and probably his game too. I get the sense that he’ll be taken advantage of by some of the more cutthroat players as he seems likely to play with his heart and lead with emotion.
Chelsea Townsend Age: 24
Current residence: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: EMT/Pro Cheerleader
Cheerleaders are usually great social players. She definitely had the training of how to connect with various people. Admittedly, she says she will have trouble backstabbing. I see her latching onto a few other players and holding on for dear life.
Bradley Kleihege Age: 26
Current residence: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Law student
There’s no nice way to put this: he’s a pretentious asshole. I don’t know whether to be impressed by how self-aware he is concerning the litany of social issues he will have or bothered by the fact that he doesn’t see the need to change these qualities in his real life BEFORE coming onto Survivor. I hope Brad turns my first impression upside down!
Kellyn Bechtold Age: 31
Current residence: Denver, Colorado
Occupation: Career Counselor
Her quirkiness is already infectious. Sometimes, quirky is good, but it can also be off putting if she becomes a bit too zany. She seems to be self-aware of how she comes off while also knowing her capabilities, so I think she’ll be fine. It’s definitely going to be fun to see her journey.
Domenick Abbate Age: 38
Current residence: Nesconset, New York
Occupation: Construction Supervisor
Hobbies: Crossfit, poker, and skiing.
After reading his bio, I thought he was a total douchebag. After watching CBS’ intro on youtube, that hasn’t changed. I think he’ll be a trouble-maker for sure. He plans on being cutthroat and trying lots of things that have NEVER been done on Survivor before. He’s one to watch.
Well, that’s it for my first impressions of the cast this season! For more details on each Survivor, be sure to check out their full bios and intro clips. Then, come back here to discuss in the comments below! There’s so much more to discuss before the premiere, but we’ll stop for now!
Be sure to keep up with my Survivor coverage here on Tamara Tattles as well as my twitter @That_Cho.
So what you are saying is I am going to have to look at those stupid striped leggings on Stephanie all season?
Yup! Cho researched, vested time and energy on this cast, served the tea at just the right temperature so that you could be fascinated by a pair of leggings! You crack me up TT! I’d suggest a drinking game but it’d be no fun if she gets sent home first!
I haven’t watched Survivor since the first season and that was hit and miss, pre DVR/Tivo in my house…I’m guessing I’m going to start recording…Cho, your introduction of the cast and characters was fun! Thank you!
PS I watched the link to Jeff outing Zeke. (Very sad face) How messy and ugly was that?
Thanks a lot for the comment, Kipper! It was really fun writing this piece. Do start watching the show. It’s been on air for 18 years now… not many reality shows can match that. It’s a good watch and hope you enjoy the recaps moving forward.
Yes, the Zeke/Jeff situation was REALLY nasty. I’m a fan of Jeff and was aghast when he made that mistake. The backlash he received was well-deserved. I do believe in redemption. He does a lot of work for the LGBT community, but no one is perfect and that is no excuse for the malicious thing he did to Zeke…
This environment brings out the worst in you sometimes. My high school report (where I interviewed Todd), detailed how emotionally, spiritually and physically draining this game is. It’s quite the social experiment.
Dear GOD. I have an ever dwindling number or friends from another site for EIGHTEEN YEARS.
I should probably just kill myself. Jesus. #HYPERBOLE please don’t send me helpful counseling emails. I’ve live the 18 years after all.
Luv u first.
I caught the shade @ “dwindling site”. lol
Sucks is ICONIC. I did take a look the other day and the format is DRAMATICALLY different now.
I’m sure she will give us some hideous outfits, but I’m super excited to see them. Hideous is good now a days!
Welcome Cho.
All information possible is great.
Looking forward to your recaps.
Thanks a lot Cheryl! There’s more tea to be served. Looking forward to discussing this season with you!
Hi Cho! This is great!!! I’ve seen probably 90% of the shows so I was already looking forward to this season. I hope I am reminded of some poor game-play! I’m glad I will be able to come here for recaps!!
I already hate the male model.
Oh wow so you’re a die hard fan too?! That’s legit. I do think this season will be more about the past than present. Look at a lot of references to major fumbles. I think the twists will involve repeating those old twists in some way shape or form.
Chris Noble the male model is definitely annoying. While he already seems way too self-assured for my liking, I am looking forward to him making a complete fool of himself. On the other hand, who do you enjoy the thought of so far?
Welcome Cho! I have seen every episode of every survivor series, I am so excited to get recaps on this site. I love these first pictures, and try to imagine them filthy, with their body hair all grown out. Who will wear it best?
I am thrilled that is all new people this season, always good to get a fresh start.
Looking forward your continued insights!
Wow, another super fan such as myself. That’s so weird that you ALSO imagine who wears their “starvation look” the best just like I do. LOL My bet will be on Sebastian. I’m swooning over him right now. I’m already imagining the V cut abs. Ok I’ll stop typing.
Looking forward to chatting with you about this season and adding Survivor to the pantheon of amazing TV shows on this site.
that yellow shirt last year… I am still thinking about it!
the urologist
Oh yeah Mike! He’s actually be affected heavily by the Parkland terrorist attack. His twitter feed is super hilarious!
Cho, welcome! Absolutely awesome introduction to the players on Ghost Island! Photos by team and descriptions from left to right – how much more could a seriously ADD person such as myself need to make sense of who’s who? I’m going to print it out, so I can keep track of things. I may actually know the team members right away this time, instead of around the ten-week mark, which is when I usually start to remember who everyone is. That’s why I often don’t watch the show right away and wait until they get whittled down a little bit, but I’ll be in this one from the start.
Really looking forward to your recaps.
Haha I will definitely keep this in mind while writing for you. I want it to be a good and entertaining read. While CBS has done a great job recently of making pre-merge characters interesting and memorable, it is still easier to tell them apart after the merge.
I’m happy to have you along for the ride this season!
Very happy to be here. Thank you.
Chrissy was definitely robbed!
Ummm THANK YOU. I’m still shaking my head. Her final speech was amazing, and I think her overall game was objectively better than Ben’s. And let’s not forget the “advantage” that she got. Again, Big Brother levels of production intervention… ALLEGEDLY. You know she lost her job too, right?
Who lost her job? Chrissy or the producer? I mean, I think our troops are incredible and deserve the best of everything but not to be handed multiple immunity idols and a break from traditional rules to get to the final 3. I was furious for Chrissy.
Chrissy lost her job for going on Survivor. It’s an industry that frowned upon her anyway as the actuary industry is dominated by male employees.
And yeah, come on now. It’s a shame that the rigging tainted the love I had for Ben’s character. He was awesome.
I’m really looking forward to Cho. Finally I may be able to know what is happening before there is only 10 players left, lol.
I will for sure help you to remember the pre-merge cast this season. They’ve been doing a good job with editing them these last few seasons.
Welcome, Cho. I’ve also seen almost every season but am one who can barely remember one person from another in past seasons. You need to really stick out for me to know who you are (e.g, Jonny Fairplay).
I always hope there aren’t a lot of young blondes in the cast. It takes me forever to figure out who is who.
So basically you need to lie about your grandmother being dead for you to remember them?! LOL But seriously, I totally know what you mean!
Not a terrible amount of young blondes but enough young females that could potentially be forgettable unfortunately. I hope they prove me wrong!
So glad you said that, SJU. As someone who’s considered to be intelligent and who had a successful career despite what seems to be years of ADD (which no one had heard of centuries ago, when I was younger – it’s only as I’ve gone through life that I realized why I was so lucky to have a job which often enabled me to mix up my job responsibilities and not do the same thing over and over). I have the same problem and can’t really understand why – it’s as though I see people, but don’t commit their faces to memory, even short term. It’s very embarrassing sometimes. I also remember high profile contestants like Johnny Fairplay, Boston Rob, Richard Hatch, and Susan Hawk, but have to be reminded who a lot of other contestants were. And, yes, a lot of the women look similar. That’s why I was so tickled to see Cho’s great descriptions of who everyone is, in the same order they appear in the team photos. I’ll be printing it out and using it as a reference in the early days, until I really recognize the contestants. It’ll make the show a lot more enjoyable for me this year, instead of just feeling clueless for the first few weeks.
Well, I took two weeks off from almost everything, watched the Olympics and kind of pretended most other things that happened in the world, did not happen.
I am an avid Survivor fan, watched every season but no. 3, had a friend on Season 10 and have been to 3 of the live finales. I am always a little disappointed in the number of recruits given the number of people that “apply” to be on the show and get passed over for “pretty people.”
I did not care for most of last season. I am extremely happy to see a dedicated reviewer on board, welcome Cho!
Looking forward to this season.
Based on my twitter feed, there was someone who played Sailor Moon music during their set. Is this true? If so, this was a good year for the Olympics.
Who did you know from Season 10 Palau? Don’t tell me the goddess Katie? her hilarity in the Survivor lithosphere is severely underrated!! Remember her fights with multiple tribe mates, but specifically Janu whom she not so affectionately described as a Jack-o-Lantern? LOL
We could talk forever and ever about recruits versus applicants. What I will say is that while recruits have given us some iconic Survivors (Tyson, Russel, Phillip etc), for the most part, they end up being duds. There is a trend now in casting against having too many recruits, and I agree with that.
glad to have you on board for the season!
I may have gotten the season # wrong, it was Survivor Panama in 2006. My friend who was my co-worker at the time is Bobby Mason, know on the show as Bob Dawg. He and Bruce Kanegai were voted off (well Bobby was voted off) for drinking the rest of the tribal wine during a rain storm. I actually know Bruce as well, but met him after the fact, as he and Bobby have remained friends. He is one of the nicest men I have ever met.
Bobby is a good guy, but not one of Jeff’s faves. Even though I got the season # wrong I do remember Katie and the ensuing drama…..LOL.
Good to know about the casting changes.
Oh yeah Panama was Season 12 the one where Aras won. That’s a pretty underrated season, because despite Aras’ tribe being one of the most dysfunctional in history, they were quite successful!
Bob Dawg was pretty hilarious on the show and left way too early. It would have been great to see him play longer.
Yeah the women on his tribe did not like him. He has maintained over the years that he got a crappy edit.
Good luck tonight Cho. I fall asleep, so I will be reading first thing tomorrow morning with my first cup of coffee.
I’m sure it’s going to be great, and I am so excited to have a SURVIVOR recap. 🌴🐀🐓🐠🐚🐜🍍🚣
Thank you so much for the encouragement! I am so looking forward to this season.