Survivor season 35 cast: Jessica Johnston wants all the game can throw

Jessica Johnston will be part of the Healers tribe on Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers and wants to experience everything the game can offer.

The evolution of Survivor is not something foreign to most fans and certainly not to any players. While being a physical threat is important to succeed in challenges — both at a tribal and individual level — and actually survive on an island, winning the $1 million also hinges heavily upon the social aspect of the game. For Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers cast member Jessica Johnston, a 29-year old nurse practitioner from Louisville, KY, how she performs socially will make-or-break her entire game.

Just looking at Johnston, you can tell that she’s going to be a strong physical player. In her CBS cast introduction video, she talks about her love for working out and the gym. That’s evident as she comes off as quite athletic with a long, muscular frame that could serve her well in a number of challenges. Even on a season that appears to have a considerable amount of physically dangerous players, Jessica could still be a standout in that regard.

Having said that, there are a few things that she said in the CBS video and in her CBS pre-game interview that leave you questioning how she’ll perform in the game beyond the physical aspects of the game:

By far the most concerning admission Johnston makes here is her propensity to speak without thinking. While she doesn’t appear to be the type to make disparaging remarks often, that trait in any form is not promising in Survivor and can get players in trouble. Coupled with another admission, saying that she’s “emotional”, that could be a troublesome recipe.

Even with that, the one thing that is undeniable about Jessica is that she ostensibly seems quite likable. In her pre-game interview bio on CBS, she noted that she “could win Miss Congeniality of Survivor“. That certainly seems possible as it’s easy to see how other players would befriend her.

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At the same time, however, the most troubling trait with Johnston isn’t that she’s emotional or too talkative; it’s that she doesn’t really appear too intent on winning the game.

Obviously the goal of anyone playing is to be the Sole Survivor at the core. But Jessica seems almost too disinterested in this. It’s refreshing to hear her say that she wants to experience all that the game can throw at her, listing storms, blindsides and other things. At the same time, though, the feeling you get from what she has to say is that she is playing for the overall experience, not for the win.

No fan would deny that the experience of playing the game would be life-changing. It’s something that you’d want to soak in every moment of. However, that doesn’t change the fact that this is still a cutthroat game where everyone can be your friend and everyone can be your enemy. If you become too wrapped up in experiencing everything, that puts you in danger of losing sight of that and ultimately not making it all that far in the game.

Perhaps being the self-proclaimed Miss Congeniality of Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers will serve this Healer well. Maybe Jessica will be likable enough to stick around for quite some time. However, it feels as if her personality and approach coming into the game put her in a precarious position from the start.

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Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET airing on CBS.

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