With the premiere of Survivor 48 only a few weeks away, fans can't wait to see what a new group of players bring to the table. Now that we know who will be competing for this season's title of Sole Survivor, it's time for my favorite pre-season tradition: see if I can guess how everyone's going to fair on the island based only on first impressions.
In 47 seasons, eight winners originally started on orange tribes:
- Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo)
- Brian Heidik (Survivor: Thailand)
- Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
- Rob Mariano (Survivor: Redemption Island)
- Tony Vlachos (Survivor: Cagayan)
- Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X)
- Nick Wilson (Survivor: David vs. Goliath)
- Maryanne Oketch (Survivor 42)
Check the first look at our Survivor 48 castaways for yourself and see if you agree with my predictions for the players on the Orange tribe.
David Kinne
"It's not ego, it's history... Everything I've done, I've come out ahead."
Age: 39
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
Current Residence: Buena Park, Calif.
Occupation: Stunt performer
My Prediction: David clearly fits a very specific mold of Survivor player and I anticipate his journey this season to go one of two ways. Among the Orange tribe, he's likely going to assign himself the role of leader and feel the need to monitor them in every facet of the game: challenges, camp life/roles, strategy talks, etc. This is either going to hurt him right off the bat and get him out early because his tribe can't stand him (even if he is a physical asset in challenges) or it's going to keep him in the game through the merge to act as a shield for any players who want to fly under the radar and need someone to draw attention away from them.
Chrissy Sarnowsky
"I know what it takes to work hard to get what you want."
Age: 55
Hometown: Chicago
Current Residence: Chicago
Occupation: Fire lieutenant
My Prediction: If Chrissy doesn't do anything insane to blow up her game super early, she has everything she needs to get her to the merge and beyond. She's going to be invaluable to camp life as a natural mother figure for a tribe with players 15+ years younger than her. People will turn to her socially for emotional comfort and will rely on her work ethic for physical comfort as they navigate making shelter, finding food, and everything else that comes with being stranded on a beach for 26 days. If she's able to make people think she's just tagging along for the ride while secretly working the game, she has the potential to go far.
Mitch Guerra
"The goal is to come out here and prove to myself that I'm more than capable of doing anything."
Age: 34
Hometown: Waco, Texas
Current Residence: Waco, Texas
Occupation: P.E. coach
My Prediction: I feel like Mitch is the player that Bhanu Gopal was hoping to be on Survivor 46 because I can already tell you that after only one minute with him, Mitch has already won my heart (and I have no doubt a million more will follow). But I don't want to discount that I think he could have the potential to win the million dollars too, if he plays his cards right. He's clearly an athlete who has had to learn how to navigate social situations and read people throughout his life. He also comes off as incredibly loyal, which could keep him around early on. I can't wait to see how he plays!
Kamilla Karthigesu
"I don't need praise. I don't need my ego stroked by people."
Age: 31
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Current Residence: Foster City, Calif.
Occupation: Software engineer
My Prediction: I like Kamilla, and I feel like we could be friends in real life, so it makes me so sad to say that I worry she's going to be an early vote, possibly the first person voted off the Orange tribe. She's upbeat and vocal regardless of the situation, which are great qualities to have anywhere but Survivor. While positivity around camp is great, by day three when the rest of your tribe can feel their stomachs echoing, if you're still smiling and trying to keep the vibes up, they're going to lead a hangry mob after you until your torch is snuffed.
Charity Nelms
"This is making up for lost time of all the experiences I've held myself back from."
Age: 34
Hometown: Monroe, Mich.
Current Residence: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Occupation: Flight attendant
My Prediction: There is no doubt that Charity is resilient and she's a flight attendant so she knows how to deal with a lot of different people, all at once, all needing something different from her. I think she has the tools to play this game, but I also have a feeling that she might be gone pre-merge if her tribe doesn't uphold a winning streak and she finds herself at tribal more than a couple of times. Only time will tell...
Kyle Fraser
"I'm the best average guy you'll ever meet"
Age: 31
Hometown: Roanoke, Va.
Current Residence: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Occupation: Attorney
My Prediction: You heard it here first, folks: Kyle is my pick to win this season. His adaptability has the potential to take him far both socially and strategically and he gives off an energy that he'll be an early asset to his tribe in challenges without being too much of a post-merge physical threat. I could definitely see his downfall being that he has a vibe of someone people naturally want to follow and he might get pinned as an early leader for his tribe, even if he doesn't step into that role himself. As long as he can keep humble and keep his deepest trust in himself over others (and doesn't tell anyone he's a lawyer!), I can see him sitting in the final three.
Survivor 48 premieres on CBS and Paramount+ on Wednesday, Feb. 26.