Survivor Caramoan – the Newbies aka the Fans aka the Gota Tribe

As much as I am excited for this season that is about to begin (today in the US, right? I’m losing track with the time difference thing, it’s gonna be tomorrow for me), I couldn’t find myself caring for the new players yet.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I’ll love a few (and forget a few as soon as they’re voted out), but right now, I don’t know if it’s the Fans Vs Favorites format, or if it’s simply because I didn’t have much free time, or simply because the pregame interviews rarely excite me (except for the ones done by Dalton Ross usually), I can’t care less for the fans.

However, I must find at least a few words to say about them, right?

So here we are.

Introducing the Gota Tribe!

• Allie Pohevitz: @alliepohevitz, Facebook – Honestly, I didn’t watch her pregame interview until the end, I was swinging between bored and irritated when she spoke. Wait, unless it was with Laura Alexander, I may be confusing both.
• Eddie Fox: Facebook – Seems like the fun athletic young man who’s in it for an adventure but who doesn’t really have a strategic mind nor the mind of the prize (he seems more in it for the adventure rather than the million). I should do well premerge because of his athletic abilities and probably his friendliness, but he’ll be cut some time soon after the merge.
• Hope Driskill: @HopeDriskill, Facebook – Yes, another beauty queen playing Survivor… I gotta admit, she’s very pretty. Also, she doesn’t seem like the other plain and possibly dumb pretty young girls the show casts quite regularly. *cough* Angie from last season *cough* She seems to have something… a personality maybe? She could be indeed an interesting contestant. Does she have some game in her? We’ll see.
• Julia Landauer: @julialandauer, Facebook, Personal Website – Here we have somebody who’s probably very interesting. Disregard her young age, she seems very smart, competitive, with an interesting personality. If there is one Fan that can go very far, it’s her. My only concern is “can she bond with her fellow contestants quick?” Strong bonds, I don’t know, but she may be able to stay afloat long enough to make something happen.
• Laura Alexander: @lauraashleyalex, Facebook – Honestly, I didn’t watch her pregame interview until the end, I was swinging between bored and irritated when she spoke. Wait, unless it was with Allie Pohevitz, I may be confusing both.
• Matt Bischoff: @MattBischoff – He seems like a cool guy. I could envision myself being friends with him. Now can he play Survivor? I think yes to a certain extent. I don’t see him being a leader, and I don’t see him being strategical enough to do well. With luck he can make the merge, but I don’t see him going very far.
• Michael Snow: @heysnowy – Now here is another interesting contestant. If he manages to integrate himself in his tribe and make the right friends, he could go very far. He seems to be very analytic and strategical. I’m just not too sure about how he will do socially.
• Reynold Toepfer: @reynoldtoepfer – A pretty strange guy if you’re asking me. I’m really having a hard time gauging him. Nice and cool guy? Complete douche? Weirdo? Really I’m not sure. He seems athletic, he should make the merge, I don’t think he can go much further.
• Shamar Thomas: @SgtShamarThomas, Facebook – I’m having trouble being objective with him. I first saw him, like many of you I assume, when he stood up to 30 NYPD cops who were abusing some Occupy Wall Street protesters. He instantly became my hero of the moment. So of course, I want him to do well, although I was less than convinced by his pregame interview (what’s up with the “I want everyone to feel miserable” thing?). The problem with military guys on Survivor is that while they have little to no trouble with the survival and physical aspect of the game, they struggle with its social aspect and I think that this will also be his problem.
• Sherri Biethman: @sherribiethman, Facebook – I can’t really get a good read on her. She kinda remind me of Tracy from Micronesia. I see her having the infamous “older woman breakdown” after a few days on the island, and if she can recover, she can do well, but this is tribe, she could also be the first boot.

I guess that wraps it up for the newbies. As usual, I’m sure I’m going to be completely wrong about most of them, but hey, that’s part of the thing.

And before we call it a wrap for Survivor Caramoan preview, I of course have a pick a winner, right?

Seriously, I can’t.

If it’s a fan, I’d say Julia or Michael. But we all know it’s going to be a favorite right?

I think Andrea and Dawn look good. Cochran could create a surprise too.

Also, there is the “Twitter” factor. It’s pure speculation on my part but for the last three seasons, the only contestant who had a Twitter account but was not active on it (or had set it on private) before or during the show turned out to be the winner. This year, Brenda‘s Twitter account is set on private, when it used to be public back in the days. Could this be a sign of something? (or just wishful thinking from my part?)

In any case, see you tomorrow for my analysis of the season premiere.