Our Survivor season 35 (Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers) cast assessments begin with Mike Zahalsky; a urologist with a penchant for nerdery.
As Survivor carries on throughout the years, we’re getting into a particularly fun part of its fandom where the show has been on so long, profound aspects of the players’ lives have been affected by it. Look no further than to the first of our Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers cast assessments as superfan Mike Zahalsky, a Urologist from Parkland, FL, has a child named after a Survivor winner.
“We actually named my second kid after Ethan, the third season winner of Survivor,” Mike relays, all before going into an elaborate story about how his wife’s “hall pass” was Ethan Zohn. Funnily enough, while Mike chose Sarah Michelle Geller, he would run into Ethan every single week in New York near his old workplace to the point where he was relieved his second child looked like him!
Were it not for Ryan Ulrich, the turtlenecked Hustler tribesman, Mike Zahalsky would probably be your go-to nerd archetype on Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. He even has a deep appreciation for Game of Thrones, as indicated in The Hollywood Reporter’s preview back in May and in his CBS bio. Maybe he would argue with us which character from Game of Thrones would win in a season of Survivor!
If Mike Zahalsky plays his cards right, he could be set in a good position for the long haul. In his bio, he mentions understanding how the game has changed since watching season 1 live. Too often, even returning players such as Ozzy Lusth think that how they played their first time should be repeated on every opportunity.
Mike looks to be the type of player best exemplified by Sarah Lacina in Survivor Game Changers. While he’s in no way guaranteed a strong shot at a million dollars without seeing a bit of the game in action, he’s indicated his willingness to approach everyone and talk to them on their level in order to make them feel comfortable, all while possibly stabbing them in the back.
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Of course, there may be some level of self-delusion at play. Mike Zahalsky compared himself to four-time player and Survivor Redemption Island winner Boston Rob “because he was smart and socially strategic.” While most of us here on the site think that season ranks among the worst seasons, Boston Rob dominated because he created a cult of personality to the point where his tribe didn’t even eat the other merged tribe’s food. There’s no way Mike can pull that sway in an all-newbie season.
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Mike’s biggest challenge early on in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers is just getting to a tribe swap. He’s easily one of the early targets for elimination due to tribe strength purposes, as both Joe Mena and Cole Medders can carry the tribe in physical challenges. Plus, Jessica Johnston, Desi Williams and possibly Roark Luskin all seem physically fitter than Mike, putting him out as the weak link early on.
Of course, in the game of Survivor, strength isn’t always an early determining factor. Mike seems to have that “aw shucks” kind of personality that makes him easy to talk to, as he gives off the air of someone who you can trust. He could even play up his personality as a means of making people believe he’s with them in order to stab them in the back later.
Next: Who would become the Sole Survivor in Game of Thrones?
When you play the Game of Thrones you win, or you die. Mike Zahalsky looks to be one of those players who goes either fairly quickly or makes it far post-merge. Once the season premieres on September 27, we’ll have a better idea of which box he’ll fit into.