Survivor Island of the Idols cast assessment: Missy Byrd is built to survive

If Missy Byrd can survive the hardships she’s faced before going on Survivor: Island of the Idols, she can handle any test she encounters on the show.

With the Survivor: Island of the Idols cast being the first of the Jesse Tannenbaum casting direction era to make it to television, we’re looking at a great group of diverse players, each with their own story to tell. You’d be remiss in putting any of these players in a box, as the young Missy Byrd has lived a fairly full life already.

Jeff Probst has high praise for Missy, predicting that she’ll be running with a group of strong women in his cast preview for The Hollywood Reporter. Interestingly, he suggests that Missy has been living a nomadic life, which is both remarkable and well-suited for this game. You need to get along well with strangers and be able to adapt to in-the-moment struggles.

A big part of those struggles are explained in her Rob Has a Podcast interview with Josh Wigler, as she had a good explanation for why she hit the road to mark off things on her bucket list. Early on in her adulthood, she developed a brain tumor that severely affected her health for a long time, though it was waved off as stress in the Air Force Academy she was stationed at.

The crazy physical changes to her body over the course of over a year, as well as the potential brush with death, gave Missy the courage the pursue doing what she wants to do in life, hence the nomadic life. Going to see Beyonce live in concert was an easy task on her bucket list, and judging by her CBS bio, Queen B is a significant influence on her life.

Missy is an easily rootable character for Survivor: Island of the Idols, as she is a young woman who has battled through hardship, come out on top and will fight hard for herself and her tribe. She has a bubbly personality and is a huge fan of the show, both of which will help her win friends and influence people early on.

While I could see people giving her the Michaela Bradshaw comparisons, outside of their athleticism, they seemingly aim to play different games. I believe Missy when she says she will be seeking to play the Kim Spradlin game by killing the competition with a smile, as it’s better to make friends early and be an enemy when it’s too late.

I think that Missy is going to have an easy time through the early stages of the game, as she seems to be a driven competitor and a great personality. The Lairo tribe seems like a great fit for her, as she can pivot to whatever group of players she can. Plus, her experiences in the Air Force Academy have prepared her for the hardest difficulties she’ll face in the game.

I do believe that she’ll do well with a core group of mostly women and a few men. She has the approachability and willingness to make anything work while preparing to slide the knife into the back of those she needs to betray to get ahead. Armed with a strong story at Final Tribal Council, I believe that Missy is one of the early favorites to win Survivor: Island of the Idols.