Keeping an even keel is perhaps the most important part of this game, and Survivor Ghost Island’s Jenna Bowman is certainly the most chill out there.
We’ve talked about making a winner pick based on who you most medium expect, as there’s something that’s so unsettling about someone’s ability to blend into the middle of the pack that you don’t know what their true intentions are. For Survivor Ghost Island’s Jenna Bowman, she might turn heads by keeping a medium persona; cold, calculated, collecting cash.
So much of what she brings to the table comes with self-aware self-restraint. She mentions in her introduction video about how she needs to keep her emotions in check once hunger starts to set in, going as far as to physically remove herself before a conflict can begin. She mentions she wouldn’t prefer to use flirtation to further her game, but notes she might have to thanks to the level of hotness the Survivor Ghost Island dudes exude. She notes that she’ll have to force her mouth shut in order to avoid being honest about her feelings.
Certainly, the hangry factor could come into play early, as illustrated by Alan Ball early last season, but you can tell by the way Jenna carries herself in conversation that she chooses her words carefully and with an executed precision. She’s very aware of her strengths and weaknesses, and that’s what half of this game is all about.
That said, the reason I worry about Jenna Bowman’s ability to win Survivor Ghost Island comes from a pre-game interview. Not only does she attest that she’s not good at making great first impressions, but she agrees that she “could be the first person to go.” Furthermore, it looks like she’s going to play super hard, stating, “If you don’t have enemies on the jury, then you didn’t play right.”
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While that’s certainly true that it’s hard to make big moves without angering certain members of the jury, managing your jury is one of, if not the most important facets of winning the game. The idea of going big or going home doesn’t necessarily work in Survivor, as you could find yourself making it to the final Tribal Council only to see nobody like you or respect you enough to be awarded jury votes.
Jeff Probst certainly sees something in her, as he was the apparently the only one who liked her in casting (per that same interview). He was the one in his cast breakdown to notice just how much she is preparing herself for the game, all the way down to practicing smiling to counter her self-described “resting b—h face.” As much as she wants to compete and win the million dollars, she wants to take this journey and learn from it.
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Many people, let alone Survivor players, can’t reckon themselves as flawed in any way, pushing through their weaknesses instead of leaning in and learning from them. Jenna Bowman looks tactical and calculated in her approach, but also willing to do what it takes to win the game.
To me, she follows an altered path of a winner she defended; Sarah Lacina. She threatened to throw Brad Culpepper’s wedding ring into the Fijian waters, used her mother status to guilt Troyzan into possibly not voting her out at the Final Four in Game Changers and conned Sierra Dawn Thomas into giving her a Secret Advantage while orchestrating her departure. That could certainly play into Jenna’s plan to make enemies on the jury on the way to victory.
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If there’s anyone who can follow that path, it’s Jenna Bowman. However, Sarah faced a player who didn’t reach out to the jury he created and lacked a social grace. Depending on how hard Jenna plays, I can see her making it to the end, but if she goes fully Abi-Maria, she should hope for a single vote at most.