Survivor 50 - Are You Watching? Thoughts on Season 50, Predictions, Mini-PRT of All Time Favorite Players

One of the most popular Television shows ever created -- Survivor is back for it's 50th season, airing Wednesdays on CBS at 8 pm ET, streaming on Paramount+ the next day. I've been a huge fan of Survivor since I was a kid, I'd watch with my mom growing up. Picking our favorites, rooting them on, getting pissed off when they got voted out -- one of the most Nostalgic shows ever for me.

My feelings about the show and the game itself have changed over the years -- I'm not a huge fan of the "New Era" game that you'll hear about. Lowering the amount of days, the style of gameplay the New Era employs -- just not my style. The stretch of seasons from like Season 10-Season 40 has so many bangers.

For their 50th season (Absolutely insane by the way that this show has been running for 50 fucking season) -- they've brought back fan favorites, villains, and all-time great players from both the old era and the new era. At the time of writing this, I've only seen the first episode -- but wanted to write up some predictions and thoughts on the cast for Survivor 50.

No spoilers for who was eliminated 1st, alliances forming, etc -- just thoughts on the cast and the game. And also will give my thoughts on some of the idols/aspects of the game we'll be seeing this year. But I am issuing a spoiler alert for past seasons -- some of my cast previews may involve if they are a past winner, so spoilers are in play for previous years of Survivor.

Survivor 50 Cast

I'm not going to go through every single person, because there are a handful I'm not familiar with because I missed their season. But I will say that overall, I think they did an excellent job assembling this group. It's not perfect -- that's an impossible task. Some of my all-time favorites didn't make the cut -- but I'll talk about them at the end. There's no question this is an excellent cast on paper.

Cirie Fields (Seasons 12, 16, 20, 34)

One of the all-time greats, a Mount Rushmore-Worthy player, but shockingly has never gotten that elusive win. She's finished in the Top-6 in 3/4 of her seasons, and is considered one of the best social players to ever grace Survivor. Someone I'm rooting passively for.

Colby Donaldson (Seasons 2, 8, 20)

One of my favorites ever, Colby was the runner-up in the 2nd ever season of Survivor. He's the original Challenge-Beast -- winning 5 Immunity's in his 1st season. But he's a much older man than he was then, and it'll be interesting to see how he performs physically. Will be pulling hard for Colby.

Christian Hubicki (Season 37)

My #1 All-Time favorite Survivor player -- and I don't say that lightly. In Survivor, I find myself rooting for the Challenge Beasts, and the Nerdy, over-looked competitors. Christian was more the latter, but under-rated as the former, as a premier puzzler and Idol-finder. He's a strategist that's incredibly likeable, but will undoubtedly be seen as a threat come Merger.

Coach Wade (Seasons 18, 20, 23)

Coach Wade is back -- The delusional, unlikeable, annoying Soccer Coach from Bolivar Missouri. "The Dragon Slayer" is one of my OG most-hated players. Polarizing for good reason, Coach is the perfect personality for this cast, but I do NOT hope he makes a deep run.

Ozzy Lusth (Seasons 13, 16, 23, 34)

Another one of my early-season favorite players, Ozzy is an example of an OG Challenge Beast who won 5 out of 6 Individual Immunity Challenges en route to a runner-up finish in his 1st season. Ozzy's had some fantastic finishes, but is known for his brawn, not his brains. Would be happy to see Ozzy win as well.

Mike White (Season 37)

Mike White is a rare case of someone becoming more famous for what they've accomplished outside the game -- creating The White Lotus for HBO. But on Survivor, he was no schmuck -- finishing 2nd in his lone season and orchestrating a masterful strategic/social game. Hard not to root for Mike

(even though he took out Christian in 37 -- one of my favorite seasons also).

Savannah Louie (Season 49)

Spoiler alert if you didn't watch the most recent season of Survivor -- but there's a reason Savannah was chosen for 50 after bulldozing the competition to a win in 49. She dominated challenges, pulled off huge moves, and made the right alliances. I didn't find her to be likeable, but I respect a gamer, and that's what Savannah is.

Rizo Velovic (Season 49)

Another Survivor 49 entrant to 50, I rooted for Rizo from start to finish (because of my love for Anthony Rizzo). Him and Stephen (who should've got in over Rizo for 50, if you ask me) were my favorites in 49, and while Rizo is not much for Challenges, he was very well-liked and surprisingly sharp strategically in his season.

Dee Valladares (Season 45)

Dee to me is probably the most dominant winner of the New Era, combining a strong social game with great strategy and Challenge prowess. She marched to the Final by forming a formidable alliance, and she's a massive threat to win Survivor 50 in my eyes.

Jenna Lewis-Dougherty (Seasons 1, 8)

The only cast member from the Original season of Survivor, I don't remember much about Jenna to be honest, but respect the OG's too much not to include her here.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick (Seasons 10, 11, 20)

Stephenie is one of my favorite women to play Survivor -- which when you see my Top 10 later, you'll understand is high praise, as I typically gravitate toward rooting for the dudes. She was super likeable in her debut season, turned Villain a bit in her 2nd season -- showing she can sculpt her game season-to-season.

Aubry Bracco (Seasons 32, 34, 38)

Aubry is a dangerous player when she is able to form a strong alliance because of her incredibly strategic approach to Tribal Councils. However as we saw in 38, if she doesn't make that bond early, she's susceptible to being targeted. Not someone I'll be rooting for, but respect her game.

Q Burdette (Season 46)

Q is a pretty polarizing figure in Survivor -- but I can't help but root for him. He's a Challenge threat -- the dude looks like he was sculpted out of granite. He's smart, but plays more with his heart than his brain. A big personality that I love seeing on the show -- but question his ability to get to a Final 3.

Charlie Davis (Season 46)

Justice for Charlie -- who should have won Survivor 46 but was screwed by a jury that didn't value good gameplay. He was made in a lab to play Survivor: smart, strategic, level-headed, solid enough in Challenges. I think he will try to fly under the radar in this boisterous cast, but he's as big a threat to win it as anyone.

Emily Flippen (Season 45)

I don't remember much about Emily's performance in Survivor 45, but I instantly recognized her when she popped up in the 1st ep of 50. She seems sweet and a little quirky, and like the perfect person to go undetected throughout the season if she plays her cards right.

Angelina Keeley (Season 37)

And ending things with another player I do NOT like -- we land at Angelina. In one of my favorite seasons ever, Angelina somehow found her way to a final Tribal after coasting with the Goliaths pre-merge. Dramatic, disingenuous, crazy, has the subtlety of a foghorn -- I hope to God Angelina is an early out.

People I'm Not Super familiar With:

Chrissy Hofbeck (Season 35)

Rick Devens (Season 38)

Jonathan Young (Season 42)

Tiffany Ervin (Season 46)

Genevieve Mushaluk (Season 47)

Kamilla Karthigesu (Season 48)

Kyle Fraser (Season 48)

Joseph Hunter (Season 48)

Out of this whole crew -- I'm vaguely familiar with Rick Devens as an idol-crazed individual, and Genevieve from 47, who I think is a sneaky contender in 50. I know Kyle is a past-Champion and seems to be a heavy-hitter, I remember Tiffany a bit from watching 46, but my memory of her is foggy. Jonathan Young looks like Tarzan, so I imagine he'll be a threat. Nobody from this group is someone I'm rooting for particularly hard this season.

Survivor 50 Format Thoughts

I love the thought that went into planning this season to give the "power to the fans." I think it makes sense for a show with a rabid fan base that has supported FIFTY seasons to give them input and make them feel as though they are part of the game. I voted, and I like that Jeff is making a point to show what the fans thought for different show-aspects.

One thing I'm quite skeptical about going into the game is the Idols -- through previews (and even in Episode 1) we see how Idols are going to be very different in 50. "Celebrity-Sponsored" Advantages I guess is the best way to describe them? I'm not a fan of this -- maybe because I just favor the more classic version of the game -- but I also just don't care to see Mr. Beast pop up with a briefcase, or Billie Eilish giving out weird Idols.

As far as Tribe formatting -- I'm a sucker for the 3-Tribe-Start. Which is necessary in a 24-person cast, but something that always seems to happen with these 3-tribe seasons is the 1st tribe to lose gets destroyed in the early-going (Stephenie knows about that). Maybe this season that changes that.

Lastly, my personal take on Exile Island -- which I don't know if it will be a continued feature of the season, but was used once early on -- is I'm not a big fan of it. I get it's purpose, but I prefer seeing everyone have to be in close quarters at all times, especially in the shorter-game format Survivor has moved to in recent years.

Predictions for Survivor 50

Always incredibly difficult to do predictions for a show with so many fan-favorites -- especially in terms of putting Bias aside. But when it comes to a cast like this, Bias be damned -- that's what being a Survivor fan is all about. Picking your favorites, cheering your ass off for them, and throwing a temper tantrum if they lose.

Won't Make it to Jury Predictions

Savannah Louie

Rizo Velovic

Ozzy Lusth

Coach Wade

Jonathan Young

Aubry Bracco

Angelina Keeley

I always air on the side of the Vets picking off the most recent season players -- Savannah and Rizo -- but you never know. I think Ozzy and Coach will get blind-sided, I hope Angelina is next to go, I think Jonathan will be seen as too much of a physical threat, and Aubry is a proven long-gamer they'll want to get out.

Final Three Prediction

Genevieve Mushaluk

Christian Hubicki

Emily Flippen

I feel pretty strongly about the first 2 here -- and I'm taking a flyer on my last spot. I think Christian is a huge threat surrounded by huge threats, and I both selfishly hope and truly believe he will be able to fly under people's radar with so many personalities left.

I'm not super familiar with Genevieve's gameplay, but I know she's a ruthless strategist who has learned the importance of strong Allies, and I think she'll correct her mistakes from Survivor 47.

I was between Emily, Charlie, and Kamilla for the final spot -- I think the two women are under-rated players, and Charlie is great but will have the biggest target on his back of all 3, so I'm rolling with Emily.

Winner Prediction

Christian Hubicki

Who else?! My all-time favorite Survivor Player finally getting his chance to play again. He was voted out too early on his lone season -- I think Christian is going to get it done this time. I think he makes an unlikely alliance with Mike White -- who took him out in Survivor 37 -- and gets his revenge at the Final 5. Then he wins the Final 4 challenge -- bring Emily with him to Final tribal -- and Genevieve builds fire faster than Kamilla or Charlie.

That's my official prediction, and I'm standing by it.

Bonus Power Ranking Thursday

Favorite Survivor Players

Quick PRT for old times' sake, following the theme of today's blog. Note these are not who I think are the BEST Survivor players of all time -- just my favorites. Shoutout "SurvivorWiki" for their assistance with this list -- and use it to pull up all of these contestants for a refresher.

I'll skip anyone listed above to highlight others -- but Christian would be my #1, Stephenie, Colby, Ozzy would crack the Top 10 for me.

HM: Tyson Apostol

Huge Douche -- but awesome Survivor player: Chaotic, entertaining, and dangerous.

#10 Yul Kwon

Yul was the silent assassin who pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in Survivor history -- outnumbered but used Challenge wins and Idol-plays to pick off the majority post-merge. Him vs Ozzy for Sole Survivor of Cook Islands is still the best Final Tribal to me -- two elite players.

#9 Steven Ramm

My favorite cast member from Survivor 49 -- Emily and I were distraught when he was blindsided. Incredibly likeable, dorky dude that played an awesome game, screwed over by incredibly dumb allies in Kristina and Sage. Him making an alliance with Christian in Survivor 50 would have fed families.

#8 John Cochran

Another lovable dork, and one of the most dominant winners ever -- one of only 2 people ever to throw a "perfect game" of never receiving a vote, until they voted him Sole Survivor unanimously.

#7 Stephen Fishbach

Running mate to a player further down this list -- and runner-up of one of my Top-5 favorite Survivor seasons Tocantins -- Stephen was another strategic GOAT of the game. He and JT formed one of the best duos the shows ever seen, but he got the short end of the stick at Final Tribal.

#6 James Clement

Far from one of the smartest players to play the game -- he was voted out with not 1, but 2 idols in his pocket in his 1st season -- but someone I always rooted for. A physical freak, dominant in Challenges, good socially, but his game has been defined by a blunder, injuries, and forced exits too early.

#5 Parvati Shallow

The greatest Survivor player by many people's rankings -- and undoubtedly a Mount Rushmore player. Parvati has 2 wins (one in Australia's version), a runner-up, and a Top-6 on her resume, winning one of the hardest seasons in Micronesia. If I was a contestant on one of her seasons, she could vote me out any time.

#4 Sarah Lacina

My #1 female player ever, and the most under-rated player ever in my book. Sarah was an absolute star at Survivor. She was blindsided by Tony just before jury in Cagayan, then came back and won Game Changers beating the likes of Tony/Ozzy/Cirie/Sandra, and got 4th in Winners at War. Slept-on elite Survivor player.

#3 JT Thomas

JT was one of the most beloved players of all-time, by both the fans, and his fellow contestants. So many people at the Final Tribal of Tocantins said it was equally important to them that he win than they win themselves -- just a wildly likeable champion who had the first ever "perfect sweep" at Final Tribal.

#2 Boston Rob

What needs to be said? Boston Rob is one of the most entertaining, legendary, charismatic, dominating Survivor players ever, and is one of the players who shot this show into meteoric-popularity.

#1 Spencer Bledsoe

The most under-rated/under-appreciated Survivor player of all time. Spencer was the underdog of all underdogs in Cagayan, being voted out just before Final Tribal (gave a legendary speech from the Jury in that season too). He came back in Cambodia, a season of heavy-hitters, made it all the way to Final Tribal before losing to Jeremy. Smart, tactical, strong, deft at getting himself out of trouble -- easy #2 favorite player, but defacto #1 for this list.