Survivor David vs. Goliath: Should Pat Cusack return?

One of the biggest personalities of the David tribe left Survivor: David vs. Goliath way too early than he should have been. Should he get another shot?

Welcome back to our Survivor coverage in the year of 2019! We’re glad to have offered up our takes on casting, gameplay, the story and the players all of last year, and we are continuing to vary things up by bringing back a feature we started in the Ghost Island offseason.

We would like to know who from Survivor: David vs. Goliath you’d like to see compete again in a future season! For each of these pieces, please assume that CBS will ask some players back, regardless if you prefer returning player seasons or not.

We’re starting following the season’s boot order, meaning we will discuss Pat Cusack first. Arguably the strongest of the Davids, he started the game as a bit of a mixed bag. While the Fijian rain poured down on the tribe of underdogs scrambling to make a shelter, he quickly became the stand-in dad of the tribe, barking orders to ensure it was getting made.

While this rubbed some the wrong way in the manner of which he obtained control, it was clear that his vision of the tribe had sway early on. In fact, as most of the tribe worked away at camp, Pat was critical of Nick’s sly, lazy ways, as the public defender’s attempts at looking busy while actively making alliances wasn’t fooling anyone.

It looked like Nick Wilson could have been the first boot of the game, as the Davids tried their hardest to overcome the Goliaths in the opening Immunity Challenge before succumbing to the elements and better competitors. It was in defeat where he gave the rousing dad-like speech, trying to rally the troops together as they face yet another adversity.

"The rain is a complete morale bummer, but it’s brought us together inside our structure, and it’s brought our hearts together as one big heart now. We’re going to lose an artery to our heart, but we’re gonna stay strong."

Who could imagine the Davids wouldn’t go to Tribal Council that night. An unfortunate accident on the boat ride back to camp saw Pat Cusack launched into the air and cracked his back, causing an immediate emergency evacuation from the game as a health precaution. The Davids weren’t going to vote out one of their own, but they arguably lost the biggest artery of the tribe.

Pat Cusack was the inspiration for Survivor: David vs. Goliath as a casting theme, yet he barely even got the chance to play the game. Vote in our straw poll above to let us know whether or not you’d like to see Pat Cusack return in a future season of Survivor.