Wearing purple, the Vokai tribe of Survivor: Island of the Idols has plenty of big personalities that will be fun to watch as they hit the beach.
Compared to the Lairo tribe, Vokai does come off as little more of an intense, hardworking bunch. In Josh Wigler’s pregame interviews, he talked about his brief visits to each tribe within the first three days of filming. He found the Lairo tribe sitting around, trying to crack him up, while Vokai was busy working away, more of that textbook, old school Survivor vibe.
More so than Lairo in my opinion, there are some very strong personalities in this group, so it will be interesting to see how they will clash and navigate their disagreements. Here are our expectations of how the members of the Vokai tribe will fit in as Survivor: Island of the Idols begins.
Most likely to be the tribe leader: Janet Carbin
Janet is the oldest female player on Survivor in 22 seasons! As a chief lifeguard, she’s used to managing people and being the go-to person that others turn to. Similar to Tom Laidlaw of Lairo, she isn’t someone who’s going to be domineering or over-aggressive as a leader, but it’s hard for me to see her not taking control of the tribe’s camp life. Since Dan Spilo manages people for a living, I could also see him taking the lead at certain points throughout the season.
Biggest challenge contributors: Jamal Shipman and Noura Salman
Both of these castaways are built for strength and challenges. Jamal Shipman played football and basketball in college and still has the physique to power through challenges. Noura Salman is a health and wellness professional and is among the fittest players out there. I could see her thriving in both strength and endurance type of challenges. Tommy Sheehan is another jacked contestant and will be a big force in challenges as well.
Strategic masterminds in disguise: Kellee Kim and Jason Linden
Although she hasn’t been a life long fan, when Kellee Kim got into Survivor, she went back and binged everything. She understands what’s involved to stay under the radar while building a measure of power.
Jason Linden has thought long and hard about the strategies he wants to implement in Island of the Idols. If he can survive the first few votes and build a strong alliance, then watch out! I would also throw Molly in the mix, as someone who can float under the radar but can build a solid resume along the way.
Social gurus: Lauren Beck and Tommy Sheehan
Out of RHAP’s pregame interviews, it was obvious that no one was as conversational and smooth as Lauren Beck. She is, after all, the first person to essentially be cast by Jeff Probst on the spot. She’ll have no problem at all building relationships. Tommy Sheehan is also someone who’s easy to talk to. His passion for teaching kids oozes out into his personality, and I could see him forming close bonds fast.
Vokai’s class clown is Jack Nichting
This jungle boy is already giving off Fabio vibes… in a good way! His outright eagerness to deal with all the harsh conditions is funny in its own right. Mid-interview with Josh Wigler, Jack was literally climbing a palm tree looking for coconuts! This guy will add pure entertainment to camp life.
Early favorite to win: Molly Byman
Although Dan Spilo is my sleeper pick to win, I think Molly Byman is in a better position. She has a very innocent and fun personality that will make it easy for her to fit in and fall through the cracks as the big threats are taken out. However, she also has the athleticism and strategic mind to come up clutch and make big moves when the opportunity arises.