Survivor Season 41: Leaked Cast Review Part 1
I would actually like to see an "Old vs. New" Survivor season, featuring a tribe of players who only featured in the first ten seasons (e.g. Richard Hatch, Lex, T-Bird) up against a tribe featuring exclusively players from the ten most recent seasons (e.g. Devens, Davie, Domenick Abbate, and some who don't start with D too). But with that out the way, let's check out the first 6 cast members I took the time to stalk for you.
Brad Reese
The first of today's 6 contestants, Brad Reese, 49, is the owner of the "Rockin 7 Ranch" near Shawnee, Wyoming. He is married to Heather Reese, who, as well as working on the Ranch, runs the blog Sunny and 79, which you can find here. Together they have four children who will inherit the family farm that has been passed down through generations. The ranch seems to be well liked, as it has 5-star reviews.
Looking at Brad as a contestant, his strong point should be outdoor living, as he is a ranch owner and likes to visit mother nature with his family. This means that he will be a huge asset in camp life and should be physically fit for the challenges. The fairly mature cast should also mean that he won't be considered a liability in challenges. Both of these factors should result in him surviving the first few tribals.
Looking at where he may be weakest, I think he will struggle in the strategic areas of the game. While he seems intelligent, I cannot see him betraying anyone or flipping, even if the numbers are against him. Loyalty is good, but I think an unlucky tribe swap or minority alliance will be his downfall. I get the impression that he will not be ready to do whatever it takes and will not sacrifice any moral values or align himself with someone who he likes less than another because it would be more strategically sound. I see him getting voted out between 15th and 5th.
Danny McCray
Former NFL free safety and special teamer, Danny McCray is the closest thing to a celebrity inclusion we'll get, although he isn't very well-known. He is only 33, but is already retired and living in Houston, Texas. He was educated at Westfield High School and continued his studies at Louisiana State University. He is the son of Roger Wayne Harris and LaQuita McCray-Harris and has two siblings, Dannyell and Kemberly McCray.
His obvious advantage is physical, as he is well over 6 feet tall and built like an American Football Player: huge. There isn't too much information on him, but he has given speeches at youth camps for upcoming players, during which he is shown to be a huge advocate for helping young prospects find their way in life and keep out of trouble. Could he be a potential team captain volunteer?
Information on him is limited, but I think it is safe to assume that his physique and relative fame are not the only reasons he made it onto the season. While he is a bit of a surprise package, I think he could potentially step up as a leader, as he will surely be good in challenges and has motivational speaking experience. I could also see him being used as a meat shield or voted out just before the merge because of his challenge threat.
Deshawn Radden
Someone I think could be a fan favorite, Inside Survivor lists Deshawn Radden as a "Shift Manager/Medical Scribe" living in Phoenix, Arizona. However, during my research I discovered that he has a YouTube channel that you can check out here. He seems like a really nice and funny guy, and must also be intelligent, as he has a masters degree in medicine. I watched his videos and saw that he grew up fairly poor, and became a doctor because many family members experienced issues such as diabetes. He completed his college education at Midwest University.
I think it is his social and strategical game that will be his biggest asset, as he seems like a funny guy who is fairly easy-going and nice to be around. He is also likely a huge Survivor fan, as at 26 Survivor would have been the biggest show on TV since he was about 7 or 8. I think his social game could be a huge in attracting jury votes if he made the end.
Strategy is another area I can see DeShawn excelling in, because while intelligence isn't a guarantee of strategy, it is a huge help, and I also think he has a lot of motivation to win, coming from a fairly impoverished background. I just have a good feeling about Deshawn, and I think he can go far.
David Voce
Another person in the medical field, I have a weird feeling that David could be this season's villain. David grew up in Highland, California and went to college at UCLA, where he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Neuroscience. He then attended the Pritzker School of Medicine. There he proved to be big brained and conducted a bunch of research on things I'd never heard of. Something about brain viruses, I think.
It seems that I am slowly being able to dig up less and less. His parents may be called James and Carolyn, but I am not sure. I would think maybe a neurosurgeon could be very manipulative as they have studied the mind, and I would guess that his strengths would include puzzles because book-smart people have historically been good at them.
It will be unfortunate for him that there is already a famous David on Survivor, but that never stopped either of the Robs so maybe he could become well-known if he did well. I must stress that I am groping in the dark, because David has not really left a prominent mark on the internet as of yet.
Eric Abraham
Another seemingly book-smart contestant, and another Texan, I unfortunately have a feeling Eric may be an early boot. I have a feeling that if he goes far he will be regarded as either the next Rudy or the next Phillip. He reportedly works for the department of defense.
Historically, many winners have been in the older half of the cast but very few of been close to being the oldest, largely because older players struggle in physical challenges. This leads me to think that, despite intelligence, Eric will most likely be an early boot-off.
He may turn out to be a master puzzle-doer or maybe he will be a master of 50 and over triathlons or something, but I don't really see it. I'd be happy if he proved me wrong, and the producers must have seen some potential, but I personally don't see a brilliant performance.
Erika Casupanan
The final contestant that I will be analyzing today, Erika Casupanan is our first woman and our first Canadian. I think Erika could do well, as she seems like a quirky and interesting individual. I see her strengths as her social game as well as her convincing skills.
Being involved in marketing, she will know well how to strike a deal and could use her convincing skills to manipulate others. On her Linked-In profile she describes herself as a "Strategy-First Communicator" who "leads communications" while still cracking jokes.
I think her job alone puts her at a huge advantage and she is another player I could see going far. Another advantage is her spot right in the middle of the age range at 32, meaning that any age-based alliances would likely include her when trying to become a majority alliance and I think she could, for many reasons, end up as a swing vote at some point during the season. As an added bonus, she does have sporting experience in boxing, etc.
So there we have it! My analysis of the first six cast members is here. I hope you enjoyed and that the 41st season will be brilliant. While I do not agree with certain format changes, I hope that the show can remain brilliant. Please remember to follow me on social media and share my blog with anyone who may enjoy it. While my blog is on the ups, it is still not monetizable and I would really appreciate it if you could help me change that. Have a good day further! Noah (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)
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