Alternative Picks for Each of the Survivor 50 Cast

I already gave my thoughts on the Survivor 50 cast, and while it's a decent cast and it should be a fun watch, I would have to say for a large majority of them, there is a player who I'd rather see, and most of those alternatives are people who would actually want to play again.  So in other words, I think they mostly got the cast wrong.  And I will do my best to pick a player of the same archetype or at least of the same gender, and even from the same era, although I'm going to replace a lot of New Era players with non-New Era players.  I'll go through and list an alternative for each player on 50, and then I'll rate it on a scale of 1-5.  Here's what the scale means:

1- I actually prefer who the producers chose, but not by a ton.
2- I'm okay either way.  Happy to see either choice.
3- I would kind of prefer to see my choice, but I understand.
4- I really prefer my choice.  I need an explanation, Jeffrey.
5- WTF why didn't they chose my person instead of theirs I'm so mad.

Player cast: Jenna Lewis-Dougherty - Borneo, All-Stars
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Jerri Manthey, Australian Outback, All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains
Rating: 4
Comment: I'm guessing they really wanted someone from Borneo to have someone bookend 1 and 50, but I'd much rather have Jerri on my screen again than Jenna.  Besides, gotta have Jerri to go with Colby!

Player cast: Colby Donaldson - Australian Outback, All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Rob Cesternino - Amazon, All-Stars
Rating: 4
Comment: How can they have Colby and not Jerri?  Sigh.  I know, Colby is one of the biggest names in Survivor history, but Rob Cesternino is up there as well, especially with RHAP.  

Player cast: Stephenie LaGrossa-Kendrick - Palau, Guatemala, Heroes vs. Villains
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Heidi Hamels (nee Strobel) - Amazon
Rating: 3
Comment: Funnily enough, these two both married MLB pitchers.  But I'd rather see Heidi, who I know has kept in good shape, since she hasn't returned yet, while Stephenie has twice.  But I undestand going for Stephenie as she is the bigger name.

Player cast: Cirie Fields - Panama: Exile Island, Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites, Heroes vs. Villains, Game Changers
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Amanda Kimmel - China, Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites, Heroes vs. Villains
Rating: 3
Comment: Amanda is the only one of the Black Widow Brigade's F3 that hasn't played in recent years.  There were rumors she might return.  She did pop up recently with her real estate business in Montana.  But I guess she's done with the show.  

Player cast: Ozzy Lusth - Cook Islands, Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites, South Pacific, Game Changers
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Jonathan Penner - Cook Islands, Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites, Philippines
Rating: 4
Comment: Again, if we had to cast someone from Cook Islands and Micronesia, why not Penner?  I know he's older, but I know his story about his wife would touch everyone.  But Ozzy not being able to dominate in challenges anymore makes him just not as entertaining.

Player cast: Coach Wade - Tocantins, Heroes vs. Villains, South Pacific
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Stephen Fishbach - Tocantins, Cambodia: Second Chance
Rating: 2
Coach is the first casting that I probably wouldn't change.  But he's in his 50s, and I don't need a senile Coach.  Although that'd be entertaining.  I know Stephen has stayed in the community, appearing on RHAP, and I'd love to see him play again.

Player cast: Aubry Bracco - Kaoh Rong, Game Changers, Edge of Extinction
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Abi-Maria Gomes - Philippines, Cambodia: Second Chance
Rating: 4
Comment: Abi is such an entertaining villainess, and from her social media, we know she wanted to play again and was in the casting process.  Aubry to me isn't nearly as entertaining.  And we've seen Aubry one more time (now two more times) than Abi.

Player cast: Chrissy Hofbeck - Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Victoria Baamonde - Edge of Extinction
Rating: 3
Comment: Like I said in my previous post, the show basically owes Chrissy, but I think I'd rather see Victoria.  Not that she's the same archetype, but I think she's better TV, if slightly.  Plus, she's younger and easier on the eyes.

Player cast: Christian Hubicki - David vs. Goliath
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Devon Pinto
Rating: 1
Comment: I even struggled to think of someone for this.  Christian is 100% a good casting.  Devon, however, would be fun to see back, too.

Player cast: Angelina Keeley - David vs. Goliath
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Hannah Shapiro - Millennials vs. Gen X
Rating: 1
Comment: Again, I'm 100% ok with this casting.  Hannah, however, would have been an out of left field casting that I would appreciate.

Player cast: Mike White - David vs. Goliath
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Domenick Abbate - Ghost Island
Rating: 5
Comment: Jeff picking his friend over the only person to lose a tiebreaking FTC vote is certainly a choice.  Mike isn't a boring character, at least.  But Domenick would be so fun to see.

Player cast: Rick Devens - Edge of Extinction
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Dean Kowalski - Island of the Idols
Rating: 1
Comment: Again, no complaints.  Love seeing Devens back.  Dean was an underrated character who I was rooting for on his season, so there's that.

Player cast: Jonathan Young - 42
Who I'd maybe cast instead: David Kinne - 48
Rating: 2
Comment: I could go either way with these New Era challenge beasts.  Jonathan was more of a pre-merge challenge beast, while David did a little better with post-merge challenges.  I like David's strategic game a little more, though.  Oh well.

Player cast: Emily Flippen - 45
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Carolyn Wiger - 44
Rating: 4
Comment: I think I'm in the majority in saying Carolyn would be more interesting than Emily, although both are good TV.  I just wonder why they chose Emily over Carolyn.  Just seems puzzling.

Player cast: Dee Valladares - 45
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Kellie Nalbandian - 45
Rating: 3
First off, why two winners?  Feels weird.  But I think Kellie was a diamond in the rought (would greatly improve with a second chance), so maybe Kellie should wait for Second Chances 2, if they ever do that.

Player cast: Quintavius "Q" Burdette - 46
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Kaleb Gebrewold - 45
Rating: 2
Q is a great character, so I'm not complaining.  But I really want to see Kaleb back, as well.  But I will admit Q is a better character.  I'd just prefer to see Kaleb's gameplay.

Player cast: Charlie Davis - 46
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Austin Li Coon - 45
Rating: 2
Comment: I really liked 45's cast, I guess!  Both these guys lost a final tribal to a young female.  But if they were going to bring back Dee, I think they should've brought back Austin.  

Player cast: Tiffany Ervin - 46
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Shan Smith - 41
Rating: 5
Comment: Shan is a villain, with her own "Shanthem".  What does Tiffany bring?  Uh.... she got voted out with an idol?  She dealt with Q and Bhanu?  She's not a bad character or player, but it certainly is puzzling to say the least.

Player cast: Genevieve Mushaluk - 47
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Karla Cruz Godoy - 43
Rating: 3
Comment: First, 50 needs more queer representation.  But secondly, Karla was a more interesting character to me.  She wasn't purpled pre-merge like Genevieve was.  Plus, add another POC.

Player cast: Kyle Fraser - 48
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Jesse Lopez - 43
Rating: 5
Comment: Why did Kyle have to return so soon?  Doesn't make a ton of sense.  And how they didn't cast Jesse will puzzle me for a long time.  I really want to try to understand this, but I can't.

Player cast: Joe Hunter - 48
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Cody Assenmacher - 43
Rating: 4
Comment: Another from 43 I'd love to see again is Cody.  And he was more interesting than Joe.  As endearing?  Maybe not.  I just feel like in casting they were too biased towards the recent seasons.

Player cast: Kamilla Karthigesu - 48
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Maryanne Okech, 42
Rating: 2
Comment: Well, if we're going to bring back winners, why not Maryanne?  She was a very fun and likable winner.  Although I'm interested to see how Kamilla does on a quick second chance.

Player cast: Male 49 returning player
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Hunter McKnight, 46
Rating: 4
Comment: I'm not going to spoil who it is here (look it up if you want to know), but regardless of how that player is, I'd rather see Hunter.  I liked him.  Why the heck not?

Player cast: Female 49 returning player
Who I'd maybe cast instead: Star Toomey, 48
Rating: 3
Comment: If we're going to bring back players from 48, why not Star?  She was entertaining as all get-out, the few times she was on screen.  But we'll have to wait and see how a certain someone is on 49.

And now that I've gone over alternate picks, here's an alternate cast of 50.  I'm going to replace each player if I gave a 3 or higher.  If I gave a 1 or 2, I won't.

Males: 
Rob Cesternino
Jonathan Penner
Coach Wade
Christian Hubicki
Domenick Abbate
Rick Devens
Jonathan Young
Q Burdette
Charlie Davis
Jesse Lopez
Cody Assenmacher
Hunter McKnight

Females:
Jerri Manthey
Heidi Strobel
Amanda Kimmel
Abi-Maria Gomes
Victoria Baamonde
Angelina Keeley
Carolyn Wiger
Kellie Nalbandian
Shan Smith
Karla Cruz Godoy
Kamilla Karthigesu
Star Toomey

Now which cast is better, the actual 50 cast or my 50 cast?  Obviously, I think my own, but I'm still happy with the one they actually chose.  But there sure are some really good ones they missed out on.

My Thoughts on Each of the Survivor 50 Players

The Survivor 50 Cast has officially been revealed, and I'm somewhere between whelmed and excited.  I guess you could say my excitement is tempered.  There are a few things I'd like to comment on now, such as no players whose original season was between Seasons 19-31, and how we got 11 players from seasons 45-49.  Definitely some recency bias there.  But man, it is going to be so fun seeming some of these players interact.  For each player, I'm going to rate them on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest) on how much I'm personally clamoring to see them back (which includes how much I'll be rooting for them) and what I think their chances of winning are.  

After reviewing each player, I'm going to pick my Top 5 Duos I want to see interact.  Each duo will be someone new, so I won't use the same player for any two duos.   

Also, there are two rumored players from 49 on 50, but I won't comment on them just yet, since I haven't seen them play.  After 49, however, I'll come back and talk about them here.

Here we go, in order of their initial season...

Jenna Lewis-Dougherty - Borneo, All-Stars
How much I want to see: 3
Chances of Winning: 2
They had to have a token Borneo player, and I know people were rooting for Greg, maybe a Colleen or Gervase.  But Jenna works, I guess.  I kind of expect her run to go similarly to Kelly Wigglesworth's in Second Chances.  Possibly a purple edit with no real chance of winning.  But, you never know.  She will certainly not be a threat.  My biggest worry for her is the older players being targeted early, just like they were in Winners at War.

Colby Donaldson - Australian Outback, All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains
How much I want to see: 4
Chances of winning: 2
I don't think I've even seen what Colby looks like in recent years.  Surely he's nowhere near as athletic.  But he was the first legitimate star of Survivor, with people naming their kids after him.  One thing I've wondered is if he may have had more win equity in HvV than AO.  He had Hero pals on the jury.  If he can make friends and get to the end, you never know.  But like Jenna, I worry about the newbies ganging up on the "oldies".

Stephenie LaGrossa-Kendrick - Palau, Guatemala, Heroes vs. Villains
How much I want to see: 3
Chances of winning: 1
Stephanie couldn't win a season she had an edge on as a captain, so I don't think she'll be capable of winning here.  I actually expect her to be an early boot, like she was on HvV, as I worry about her ingratiating herself with other tribe members, especially more recent players.  Or she could slip on by.  It'll depend on what the main driving force will be on a lot of votes.

Cirie Fields - Panama: Exile Island, Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites, Heroes vs. Villains, Game Changers
How much I want to see: 2
Chances of winning: 4
Anyone else suffering Cirie fatigue?  That kinda rhymes.  And I didn't even really watch her Traitors season or her international Survivor season.  I worry the show may force her too much on us, or may try to hand her the win.  I'm okay with Cirie winning if it happens, but I don't want it in any way to be given to her.  Honestly, I'm kinda clamoring for her to go out in some way she hasn't gone yet.  

Ozzy Lusth - Cook Islands, Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites, South Pacific, Game Changers
How much I want to see: 2
Chances of winning: 2
Just... why?  I don't quite get it.  On Game Changers, we saw he had physically declined and could no longer dominate challenges.  That was filmed 9 years before 50 will film.  So Ozzy will have to rely on his social and strategic game.  IF he gets to the end, I could see it, but he'd have to get to the end.  Also, since he got into the adult entertainment industry, I'm surprised they wanted him back.  Hmm.

Coach Wade - Tocantins, Heroes vs. Villains, South Pacific
How much I want to see: 4
Chances of winning: 2
Coach is such a great character, even in his 50s, I'm sure he'll bring something to the show.  I wonder who he will say is the "dragon" of this season.  There are a lot of choices.  And honestly, it'd be smart for a lot of the newer players to bring him along as a potential FTC goat, like Sophie did in SP.  I don't think Coach's chances of winning are a "1", as if he plays a similar game to SP and owns up his game at the end (unlike what he did that season), he has a shot... I guess.

Aubry Bracco - Kaoh Rong, Game Changers, Edge of Extinction
How much I want to see: 1
Chances of winning: 4
Typically, someone fairly smart (often a woman) wins these All-Star-type seasons, like Amber in All-Stars, Parvati in Micronesia, and Sandra in HvV.  Aubry could be that this season.  Is the fourth time the charm?  And yes, I don't really need to see her play again, but it is what it is.  I just think she's really going to fade into the background with larger names taking more focus.

Chrissy Hofbeck - Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
How much I want to see: 2
Chances of winning: 2
The show definitely "owes" Chrissy due to the stupid twist of forced fire-making that surprised the cast of that season.  I believe Jeff when he says it was planned (and not just put in because Ben was in danger), but I also believe he likely told Chrissy after the season how he probably felt bad with the way it played out and promised her a chance on a returning player season due to that.  Otherwise, her inclusion feels... a bit out of place.  She may get purpled, as I think she's one of the less interesting characters on this cast. 

Christian Hubicki - David vs. Goliath
How much I want to see: 5
Chances of winning: 3
I have been clamoring for his return for years.  Thank goodness.   I think Christian's chances are somewhere in the middle.  He'll definitely have to keep his threat level low enough into the merge, should he make it that far.  If he plays a great game and gets to the end, I could see it.  But the problem is, I don't see him making the end.  

Angelina Keeley - David vs. Goliath
How much I want to see: 3
Chances of winning: 2
It's hard to rank FTC losers higher than a 2 on chances of winning.  The only person to win AFTER losing at a FTC is Boston Rob.  But I'm fairly excited to see Angelina back.  I worry, however, that she won't be as engaging, funny, or meme-worthy.  I really hope she tries to negotiate something with Jeff, and the show would be smart to open that opportunity.  

Mike White - David vs. Goliath
How much I want to see: 2
Chances of winning: 1
Mike is a millionaire already, so he's not going to win.  He would have to play the greatest game we've ever seen.  However, he may be worth a few funny moments on the show.  I just wasn't clamoring to see him, and we know he only got back on due to his friendship with Jeff, and how Jeff very likely told him he'd be on the next non-winners returning players season.

Rick Devens - Edge of Extinction
How much I want to see: 5
Chances of winning: 3
Dude was made for TV, and I'm excited to see him back.  He's kept in touch with the show, being the co-host of the On Fire podcast for a season.  Like Christian, I'll be rooting for him and hope to see him go far, but I'm worried about his chances of getting to the end.  

Jonathan Young - 42
How much I want to see: 4
Chances of winning: 1
Yes, I am putting Jonathan's chances of winning at a 1.  He has little to no social/strategic game, as we saw on 42.  Is there a chance he has some on 50?  Sure, but there's no way it'll be enough for him to win.  His best shot would be to absolutely dominate the individual challenges and be likable enough along the way to win.  But the moment he doesn't win one, he's gone.  I'll still be stoked to see him dominate challenges, and whoever gets him on their tribe is going to be very lucky.

Emily Flippen - 45
How much I want to see: 3
Chances of winning: 3
She can make good points and I think if she gets to the end in 45 against anyone except Dee, she likely wins.  I'm also surprised to see her, as I know she said on social media shortly after 45, that she likely wouldn't play again.  Well, I guess we all have to eat our words at some point.  There are certain players I know she won't like, such as Coach, Q, and Jonathan, and she's very likely to have someone like that on her starting tribe.  

Dee Valladares - 45
How much I want to see: 2
Chances of winning: 2
I almost wanted to put Dee's chances at a 1, but Sandra pulled off the back-to-back wins, and they have similar games, so I could see it.  But man, I wish they hadn't cast winners.  It'll be interesting to see how she downplays it.  I could see her being an early target, or make it very far.  High variance player to say the least.

Quintavius "Q" Burdette - 46
How much I want to see: 4
Chances of winning: 1
Like Coach, Q is such a great character for TV.  I cannot see him winning, however.  His problem is that I don't think he'd be taken seriously enough.  He's kind of like the male Angelina that way.  But he is going to have some interesting interactions with people, I can almost guarantee that.

Charlie Davis - 46
How much I want to see: 4
Chances of winning: 3
Charlie is the young white male who's come the closest to winning in the New Era, technically losing by a single vote.  I don't think he'll be considered a threat, which is good for him.  I wonder if he'll find another Maria on 50, perhaps Jenna, Chrissy, or heck, even Cirie.  I'd be down for any of those duos.

Tiffany Ervin - 46
How much I want to see: 1
Chances of winning: 3
I'm really perplexed by this one.  There are plenty of African-American women in the New Era to choose from, and they go with... Tiff.  Here's a list I'd personally rather see: Shan, Drea, Lauren, and Sai, and Star.  All to me are either better players or characters.  Tiff is a well-rounded Survivor player, but I don't think she excels at anything.  Perhaps she'll be the Wentworth of the season and blossom more of a player and character.  

Genevieve Mushaluk - 47
How much I want to see: 2
Chances of winning: 4
I was a bit surprised by this pick, mostly because Gen was purpled in the pre-merge on her season.  I really like her chances, but I worry because of the All-Star cast that she'll get purpled again.  If she wins, they better not.  There are so many threats that she could sneak by and be the Parvati/Amber of the season.

Kyle Fraser - 48
How much I want to see: 1
Chances of winning: 1
Like... why?  I don't dislike Kyle at all.  As a character, he was mid.  Not boring, but not the most engaging, either.  As a player, well, he just won, so why?  Kyle ties Jenna (6 and 8) and JT (18 and 20) as the players who returned most quickly after winning.  Neither of them did particularly well on their returning seasons, although Jenna left of her own accord.  I cannot see Kyle doing well, and his target as a winner will either carry him as a goat or be a target for him at some point.

Joe Hunter - 48
How much I want to see: 2
Chances of winning: 2
I just finished his season, so I'm not exactly clamoring to see him back at the moment, especially considering he wasn't the most interesting character.  Will he find another Eva this season?  There aren't many options for someone of that archetype.  I could see him trying to Godfather his way through the season but be on the outs at some point, like Boston Rob was on WaW.  He's got almost no shot.

Kamilla Karthigesu - 48
How much I want to see: 3
Chances of winning: 4
Yes, I actually want to see Kamilla back, but I wasn't counting on it with Kyle.  They'll likely be put on different starting tribes, however, but if they both make it to the merge, Kyle better do everything in his power to help her.  Although I could definitely see if they both make the merge, that putting a target on both of their backs.  But Kamilla is one of the smarter players in recent history.  I could see it.  If she did win, she would tie Jeremy Collins (29-31) in the quickest return from the game to a winning season.  Boston Rob also won two seasons after he played, but his winning game was his fourth time playing. 

And there are two players on 49 who are also on 50, who I did see who they are, but I won't spoil it here.  But at this point, I would give each of their "want to see" scores a 1 and a chances of winning also a 1, because no one has won any season playing back-to-back.  

And as previously promised, here are 5 duos I'm excited to see interact:

- Christian and Kamilla
Or Christian with anyone smart.  I want to see them decode a really tough puzzle together.  That'd be fun.  

- Coach and Q
Can you imagine the chaos?  I bet Coach will make Q his dragon if the opportunity arises.

- Colby and Jonathan
The OG challenge beast and the New Era challenge beast.  I know Jonathan must look up to Colby, so this would be cool to see.  I know Jonathan is good friends with Boston Rob, so this is a natural fit.

- Cirie and Devens 
Or Charlie, Christian, really any likable younger man.  I bet she'll bond with someone like that.  

- Aubry and Emily
I bet they will form an instant connection if given the chance.  Let's hope they are.  

And lastly, just for organization's sake, here's everyone ranked by their chances of winning:

1's: 
Stephanie LaGrossa-Kendrick
Mike White
Jonathan Young
Q Burdette
Kyle Fraser

2's: 
Jenna Lewis-Dougherty
Colby Donaldson
Ozzy Lusth
Coach Wade
Chrissy Hofbeck
Angelina Keeley
Dee Valladares
Joe Hunter

3's: 
Christian Hubicki
Rick Devens
Emily Flippen
Charlie Davis
Tiffany Ervin

4's: 
Cirie Fields
Aubry Bracco
Genevieve Mushaluk
Kamilla Karthigesu

And I did not give out any 5's.  Well, it's hard to figure out what each player's threat levels are going to be like coming into this.  And I didn't really want to hand out any 5's because that's basically giving away my winner pick.  Anyway, I'll come back and add the players from 49 once that is over, and probably do another post or two about this cast before the season even airs.