Survivor Edge of Extinction: Should David Wright return?

One of the most allegorical players in Survivor history, David Wright provided a “loyal” brand and poetic narration in Edge of Extinction. Should he return?

Of all the returning players of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, David Wright was the only player to have only competed on the show once. However, he might have had the biggest exposure of them all, as he showed underdog upside and the strategic prowess that only gets showcased when you’re the most reliable, creative narrator that so eloquently explains what goes on.

Heading into the game, you would think that David and Kelley would have to stick together to prevent themselves from getting picked off one by one. However, with players like Lauren who was a superfan of Kelley and their partnership alongside Wardog being a tight core of three, Manu’s early troubles with Reem, Keith and Chris saw the culmination of a civil war.

It was when all but Wendy moved from Manu to Lesu that the gloves came off, as David and Rick’s tight bonds and subtle attempts to get out Kelley matched up against the fearsome duo of Lauren and Kelley, with Wardog in the middle. Despite the five seemingly somber at Tribal Council, David lost his tightest ally fourth and, by the grace of fate, never saw Lesu at Tribal Council again until a joint effort against Manu 2.0, where everyone agreed it was Wendy’s time to go.

You would think with Rick back at the merge, the original Manu core would work together. However, David and Rick seemed to be Captain America and Iron Man on the opposite sides of inner strife, separated by Rick’s refusal to work with the people that voted him out. It’s over the course of the next few Tribal Councils where David spoke up about sharks and minnows, as well as pilots vs. passengers, creating the language everyone else would speak for the rest of the game.

Even after Julia blew up her game, Rick and David were on the bottom of the totem pole for both original tribe alliances at the Vata camp. David would be voted out despite his brand being loyalty (nobody bought that), but he was able to secure Rick an advantage at the next Immunity Challenge, setting Rick up for the long-term run only to be thwarted on Day 38.

It makes sense that David Wright is a writer, as you can see it in his allegories at tribal that he’s thinking of Survivor: Edge of Extinction more than just his own experience, but that of the audience at home. Vote here in our straw poll to decide if he should get his third shot at becoming the Sole Survivor in a future season.