Survivor 50 will premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and this all-star season should be a fun, exciting one. With 24 returning players, it is the biggest cast in Survivor history and has an intriguing mix of six Old School players, six New School players, and 12 players from the New Era.
The game will begin with three tribes of eight. One twist that seems possible with such a big cast is that each of the two tribes that don't win the first immunity will have to go to tribal council. That would be a way to trim down the cast quickly at the beginning. Or, there could be an immunity challenge just about every day.
Picking one player who might win this is a nearly impossible task. There are too many good players. There are so many variables as well. Past relationships, reputations, and unknown twists could all play a part in who goes home when.
We picked one player from each tribe who is most likely to be voted out first.
Kalo tribe - Kamilla Karthigesu
The Kalo tribe has a nice distribution of strategic players with a couple of physical threats. Jonathan Young is a beast, and it wouldn't be surprising if he and Coach Wade don't connect early. Mike White and Charlie Davis are the other two men in Kalo, but both are way more known for their strategic chops than their physical prowess.
The four women are Tiffany Ervin, Chrissy Hofbeck, Kamilla Karthigesu, and previous winner Dee Valadares. All will bring some physicality, except Kamilla. All four played fantastic strategic games in their season.
If Kalo were to lose, Coach is an obvious candidate because of how often he's played, but he can also be very charming. The two most obvious targets are Mike White, who is now a well-known Hollywood personality, and Coach. While Mike has been around the entertainment industry since the 1990s, the show that he created and writes for, The White Lotus, has made him more of a household name. Contestants may not want someone that famous to be in the game very long.
If Kalo were to lose due to a lack of physicality, Kamilla might be a candidate to be voted out. She is not a physical presence at all, and everyone will know how well she played under the radar before. She also has strong ties to Kyle Fraser from season 48, and she also played with Joe Hunter. If Kalo loses and she doesn't perform well, she might be out.
Vatu Tribe - Q Burdette
Vatu features two Old School players who were known for their physical play, but it's been a long time since either Colby Donaldson or Stephanie LeGrossa Kendrick have been on Survivor. They will probably not be as dominating as they were in their youth.
Rizo Velovic isn't a physical player, Q Burdette is an absolute wild card, and Kyle is a previous winner who played nearly flawlessly. The remaining women include Survivor strategic stars Aubry Bracco and Genevieve Mushaluk. Angelina Keeley rounds out this tribe but has ties with Mike White. She made it to the Final Four with White on season 37 and has appeared on The White Lotus as a guest star.
If this tribe were to lose the first immunity challenge, the relationships developed early might be the deciding factor because there are several candidates to get voted out here.
No one has seen Rizo play, and that could be a disadvantage. Everyone has seen Q play, and that is certainly a disadvantage. Kyle's incredible gameplay and win will probably make him an early target, and Aubry, Stephanie, and Colby have all had plenty of chances to play Survivor, and others may think they've had their opportunities.
Genevieve and Angelina were both strategic during their seasons, but they should both survive an early vote.
Q will have to be on his absolute best behavior early for him to survive a trip to tribal council. Veteran players aren't going to want to deal with a distracting wild card early. That said, Kyle cannot help but be a target for however long he's in the game.
Cila Tribe - Emily Flippen
As impressive as the other two tribes are, Cila may be the most intriguing. It features two legends in Ozzie Lusth and Cirie Fields, along with good guys Joe Hunter, Rick Devens, and Christian Hubicki. Survivor pioneer Jenna Lewis-Dougherty makes her first appearance since season 1.
Emily Flippen and Savannah Louie finish out the roster. Emily was often abrasive during her season but turned things around and produced a solid season. Savannah won her season, but no one will have seen her play, and as of now, it's unclear if the others know she's a winner when the game begins.
Based on personalities, it seems unlikely that Emily will be willing to allow Cirie or Ozzie to run things. If she can gain enough support, she might take aim at the legends early. It is also unclear how Cirie, Ozzie, and Jenna handle the faster pace of the New Era. Ozzie will probably be okay, but Cirie and Jenna may struggle.
Savannah might be best served if she can form an early alliance with Joe, who has a proven track record of loyalty. The two most interesting people in this tribe are Rick and Christian. It seems unlikely either will be an early target, but if they don't make connections quickly, who knows?
This tribe seems set up for an early Emily versus Cirie confrontation. It would be a lot of fun to witness that, but it seems likely that Cirie would win that battle. If Emily is abrasive early, she won't last long this time.
This should be a fantastic season of Survivor, and everyone is ready for it to begin. Who will be the first player voted out?