Of 32 players thrown together in a Heroes vs. Villains style of March Madness bracket, Malcolm Freberg came out on top as the sole (internet) Survivor.
One of the greatest Survivor seasons of all time was Heroes vs. Villains. The editors of Surviving Tribal were (blindly) unanimous in our selection as the show’s very best, as it pitted 20 beloved characters against each other in a case study of ego, heroic and villainous perception, and great gameplay.
CBS looked to bring back that kind of animosity these past months with a Heroes vs. Villains March Madness-style bracket competition, with fans voting for either their favorite hero or villain Survivor player over the course of six weeks. Some of these players included Kim Spradlin, Tom Wesson, Rupert Boneham, Tyson Apostol, Natalie Anderson and Rob Cesternino.
Malcolm Freberg had an uphill battle, facing off (and winning) against heroes Jeremy Collins, Adam Klein, Ozzy Lusth and Cirie Fields before squaring up against Boston Rob Mariano. The fans also determined that he was the overall winner of the Heroes vs. Villains bracket that took roughly six weeks since the very end of March to complete.
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While this is a big moment for Malcolm Freberg’s Survivor career, considering he’s never won a season yet, fans should be looking more at why CBS decided to run a bracket in the first place. It’s easy to be of two minds about it, too.
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On one hand, you have so many players included that played in Heroes vs. Villains, including Cirie, Stephanie, Tom, Rupert, Parvati, Jerri, Sandra and Boston Rob. That’s four heroes and four villains apiece, meaning if they were looking to draw fan interest in a repeat season, having 40% of the old blood represented seems odd. Perhaps it’s just a side story used to advertise CBS All Access, which would let fans watch most of those older seasons.
On the other hand, Jeff Probst has mentioned his appreciation for the fan vote before, talking to ET Canada about his excitement concerning the Second Chances voting process. CBS was the ones to step in and avoid going down that route so quickly. With season 35 filming right now and season 36 likely cast and in preparation stages, I wouldn’t be surprised if this fan vote would lead to a possible return of Heroes vs. Villains 2 way, way, way down the road.
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It could mean something, or it could mean nothing. Either way, it’s got people talking about Heroes vs. Villains again while Survivor Game Changers goes on, showing that there remains a latent interest for the greater players in the show’s history at all times.