Survivor David vs. Goliath: Jeff Probst offers his cast assessment

Want to get a showrunner’s perspective on the new Survivor: David vs. Goliath cast? The Jess Probst cast assessment is here for all 20 players.

Earlier today, CBS made the formal announcement of the Survivor: David vs. Goliath cast. 20 players will compete across two tribes separated by privilege and standing within society, with the David tribe having to scrape and survive through their hardships and the Goliaths rely on their given strengths.

We’ll have our individual write-ups starting tomorrow, but beyond bios, the best approach to learning about the players right now is to get the perspective of a person responsible for bringing them to Fiji. The official Survivor CBS YouTube channel has posted the Jeff Probst cast assessment, breaking down the host’s perspectives for both tribes.

The first video focusing on the Davids is interesting, especially when it comes to Pat Cusack. Though production has tossed around the David vs. Goliath idea for some time, it seemed like the entire season theme was built after meeting him. Everyone else was cast around fitting into one camp or another, shaping the direction of where the season will go.

Being a dominant force or successful now doesn’t mean you’re a Goliath, in casting’s eyes. Jeff Probst points to Bi Nguyen, the MMA fighter, and Christian Hubicki, the robotics scientist, as people who fought through hardships growing up or on their path, even if they have some success now.

The Goliaths, however, have always been on the up and up, even if they don’t have million-dollar paychecks. There’s plenty of prominence on display here, as John Hennigan might be the biggest, toughest, muscular dude the show has ever seen. He even defends having Mike White on the Goliath tribe, pointing to his body of work in film and television.

There’s a diverse group of people here competing in Survivor: David vs. Goliath, with plenty of people from all walks of life, ages, belief systems, and cultures. Hopefully, gameplay twists don’t ruin what looks to shape up as an interesting group of players.