Survivor Game Changers Cast Assessment: Malcolm Freberg

Game Changers represents Malcolm Freberg’s third try at the game of Survivor. Will the experience help or hinder him, and how might he fare?

It’s not often that a player of Survivor gets to play back-to-back. Malcolm Freberg just so happens to be a member of that exclusive club, thanks to his participation in Survivor: Philippines and Caramoan. Now, though, he’s back for his third go-round on Game Changers. Three-time players can do very well — but where do Malcolm’s strengths lie?

During both of his previous stints on the island, he managed to get deep into the game, reaching the jury on both tries. Of course, he went a bit further in Philippines than Caramoan, based on his alliance with Denise, who went on to win the season. That’s one of Malcolm’s strengths. He’s willing to play with absolutely anyone.

In fact, he knows it, too. Here’s his cast video for this season:

Even though he does have his usual bit of snark and a very healthy dose of confidence, the man makes some good points about his own gameplay style. He’s right when he said he likes to play with the “oddball,” to use his term. However, we can’t say that Debbie would make a good alliance partner for him — she’s certainly off the beaten path, but her strategic sense may not play well with him, and she might end up irritating him.

She won’t be starting on the same tribe as he will, though. Instead, the cast list tells us that he’ll have Ciera, Sandra, and Tony all on his tribe. We mention them specifically because he did up there in his cast video. Honestly, Sandra might not be a bad choice for him as a strategic partner, even though she does scare him. He may be wary of her, however, remembering how his attempts to flip on Denise backfired on him in Philippines.

But Malcolm has shown a willingness to work with the complete opposite of Denise. In Caramoan, he formed a triad with two other men, Eddie and Reynold…and with them, he pulled off a big move at Tribal Council, which, let’s face it, probably earned him the title of Game Changer:

In his second go-round, he proved to be better at finding Hidden Immunity Idols, enough to find two and pull that little move off.

Honestly, we could see him working with someone like Michaela. The two of them do share a connection as fellow back-to-back players. (He shares the same with Zeke, but Zeke will start things out on the opposite tribe.) They’re both fairly physical players with keen strategic senses, and his charming game may help smooth out her rougher edges.

Alternatively, Caleb could also be a decent alliance partner, one who has also shown an ability to make connections with others. Like Michaela, he has physical strengths, and Malcolm has worked with his fellow physical threats before. Unlike Michaela, we don’t have a great sense of Caleb’s strategic chops — he never made it to Tribal Council in Kaoh Rong — but Malcolm might not care about those anyway.

Where he may need to pump the brakes, though, would be on making sure he isn’t too smooth or too confident. That could lead others to see him as a target, and those who know his history can point out that he’s a two-time jury player. Andrea, in particular, could be a threat if they land on the same tribe together, because they played in Caramoan and ended up on opposite sides. However, she herself has said in her cast bio for this season that she has “to be open to working with every single person,” and that includes Malcolm. Wouldn’t that make for an oddball pairing?

Next: Game Changers Cast Assessment: Zeke Smith

Ultimately, Malcolm has a lot going for him. We’ll see if he can make the merge and the jury for a third time — or go even further.