As we gear up for Survivor 48, we are getting a lot of Survivor news. And the recent announcement that Rachel LaMont would be cohosting On Fire with Jeff Probst is definitely at the top of the list for newsworthy moments. Considering Rachel was the winner of Survivor 47 and was said to be a fan-favorite, it did make sense that she was chosen for the role.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean that she was the right choice for the job. Will she be a solid cohost for Jeff? Most likely the answer is going to be yes. That doesn't mean that she was the right choice overall. In fact, I would have to say that there were other players from Survivor 47 that might have actually been a better choice.
Similar to Charlie Davis, who helped cohost the show with Jeff Probst during Survivor 47's run, there are some non-winners who would have actually brought a lot to the table. And yes, one of them was our runner-up.
Sam Phalen
Sam Phalen lost to Rachel in a landslide vote at Final Tribal Council. He only received a single vote from the jury. Yet, there is no denying that he played a solid game. It is entirely possible that if they had taken Rachel out of the game early on he would have walked away with the title of Sole Survivor. But of course, that didn't happen.
I honestly think that Sam would have been a great choice as Jeff's cohost on the podcast. Not only was he extremely articulate when it came to describing his gameplay during the finale, but he also understood the game. Heading into Final Tribal, he knew he would have a fight on his hands to even make it to the Final Three, which is why he wanted to make fire. He wanted to show that he got himself to the Final Tribal. And he made it happen.
His entire journey on Survivor 47 would have made him the perfect choice to cohost On Fire with Jeff Probst. The fact that he came up short in the end would have also allowed him to have a rather unique perspective on how people play the game.
Sol Yi
I have to say that while Sol Yi didn't make it to the Final Tribal, he still had a big impact on the game. I would have to say that he is a big reason that Rachel won Survivor 47. He played a strategic game, but he was outplayed by people he thought he was working with.
With Sol making it onto the jury, he also had a hand in determining the winner of the season. And it was clear that he was paying a lot of attention to what people were doing and saying as a jury member. At times we saw him pointing out gameplay and what he was seeing to the other members of the jury and I think that goes a long way toward making him the right choice as a cohost with Jeff.
His attention to detail was on point, and I really think that he would have brought that same level of attention to a cohosting gig with Jeff. Sol understood the game of Survivor, and he delivered when it counted.
Survivor 48 premieres on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The first episode of On Fire with Jeff Probst featuring Rachel will be available after the premiere.