Survivor 42 First Impressions and Predictions

A new year brings a new season of Survivor. I had a lot of fun making predictions with Survivor 41 and I'm beyond excited to do the same for Survivor 42. In this post I'll be categorizing the players into 'Winner Contenders', 'Dark Horses', 'Long Shots' and 'Zero Chancers'. If I don't mention someone it means I don't feel too strongly about them.

The theme of this cast is chaos. There are so many people that seem like ticking time bombs. Wild personalities that I feel will be insane to watch. I'm having no problem figuring out who is definitely going to lose, but it's hard to confidently pick a winner.

Zero Chancers

Like I said, there's a crazy amount of players that seem immediately out of the running. Swati is one that jumps out to me. She is very mature for being 19, but being 19 is always going to be a curse. And I think she's gonna come off as too mature and cold. The older players aren't going to relate to her.

Rocksroy and Mike don't seem chaotic at all. Rocksroy specifically is probably the most chill guy on the cast. But they both seem too straight arrow to win. I can see them being brought into a strong alliance but they won't have a resume.

Long Shots

This is where a lot of the chaotic players live. These are people that could win if they manage to restrain their neurotic tendencies. Daniel and Omar are great examples of this. They both are huge fans and can't contain their excitement to play Survivor. But they'll probably play too aggressively, too frantic and others will quickly lose trust in them. However, I would love for them to prove me wrong

Zach and Lydia seem the most capable out of the younger cast members. Zach might be the closest I'll ever get to watching myself on Survivor, the similarities are kind of hilarious. It'll be an uphill battle for the guy. I think he's got the smarts and the charm but it'll all depend on how his tribemates vibe with him. If he doesn't go home immediately I think Zach goes deep. Lydia also has a real shot at it. She's chill, has a warm presence and also seems to have the right mentality. Nothing about her seems extraordinary, and that's not a bad thing in Survivor.

Dark Horses

Marya is a huge question mark for me. Her pre-season interviews gave a vague portrait of her. She'll do great socially but I have no idea how she'll do strategically. I like her though, and I think she could slip through.

Every season has obvious winner candidates that fall short just before the end. Last season we had Ricard, and this season we have Hai and Tori. Both of them are sociable, self-aware and are passionate about the game. But I think both of them will have terrible threat management. Tori is more of a toss up than Hai. She's at risk of being immediately outcasted. I see no scenario where Hai goes home early though, that guy is going far.

Winner Contenders

My three winner contenders are all women. In fact my top seven has only one guy in it. Either Hai wins or a woman wins.

The first is Lindsay. Lindsay is definitely the most chaotic person to make it this high on the list. At first I was put-off by her. She is very bubbly, extraverted and kind of all over the place. But the more I see of her, the more I'm endeared. I think Lindsay will thrive in her tribe, full of other bubbly personalities, and then she'll come into the merge in a great position and be a huge threat. Social butterflys usually don't win Survivor but if Lindsay can pump the brakes at the beginning she will go far.

My second winner pick is Jenny. Jenny seems wise, cutthroat and calculated but it's masked behind a very pleasant demeanor. She reminds me of Erika a lot. My only worry is whether Jenny will be able to form deep connections with her fellow tribemates. But with Hai on the same tribe, I think at least those two will be locked. Last season I made the mistake of dismissing the unassuming woman and I'm not making that mistake again.

And finally I want to talk about Chanelle. Chanelle is the perfect package. She's a student of the game, she's athletic and she seems very likeable. And the important part is that she doesn't flaunt it. Hai and Tori will probably have a hard time masking their greatness, but I think Chanelle will be okay with downplaying her strengths. As long as she doesn't go full psycho when she's sleep deprived and starving, I am very confident in Chanelle.

Here is my final ranking:

Winner Contenders:

1. Chanelle Howell
2. Jenny Kim
3. Lindsay Dolashewich

Dark Horses:

4. Hai Giang
5. Tori Meehan
6. Drea Wheeler
7. Marya Sherron

Long Shots:

8. Zach Wurtenberger
9. Lydia Meredith
10. Omar Zaheer
11. Daniel Strunk
12. Romeo Escobar
13. Jackson Fox

Zero Chancers:

14. Maryanne Oketch
15. Rocksroy Bailey
16. Mike Turner
17. Jonathon Young
18. Swati Goel