A new Survivor season means predicting the new players’ staying power, but in Survivor season 40, everyone’s already outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted.
The best of the best will be squaring off for Survivor season 40, pitting giant personalities and winning ideologies against each other to the delight of Survivor superfans everywhere.
Despite the news that the Edge of Extinction twist will be back, this still promises to be one of the best seasons of Survivor ever.
And while any of the 20 contestants could take the win, our money and hopes are on these five major players.
Who will be the ‘Survivor’ season 40 winner?
Parvati Shallow
If I were on the cast of Survivor season 40, Parvati Shallow would be my first target. The longer she stays, the more time she has to talk her way into people’s good graces. And even with a cast that has seen her play, I feel like she has a quality that people want to be around.
Not to mention the notoriety of manipulating one of Survivor‘s most masterful manipulators. I feel like a lot of these newer winners will want to keep a huge threat around to cut at the most opportune moment. This instinct is undoubtedly going to bite them in the ass, but I can’t shake the feeling someone’s going to buy into everything Parvati tries to sell them.
Tyson Apostol
The exact opposite of Parvati, I imagine that Tyson is going to pull in those that think they’re wise to Parvati’s game. Tyson manipulates, but he does so by making you believe he’s the open and honest one. He has a sharper tongue and is quicker to react to bad situations, but that upfront honesty is going to entice a lot of players to keep him around longer in Survivor season 40.
I also think Tyson is one of those bigger-than-life players that some of these newer Survivor players are going to be pinching themselves over. It really must be an honor to get to play against some of the game’s greatest, I just hope the newbies will keep their heads and see past the stars in their eyes.
Adam Klein
Adam was so smart in his season, I just can’t help but believe he’ll go into this crowded field of former winners looking to play up his fascination with the big seeds and use it to his advantage. I have no idea if the older winners will have watched some of these most recent seasons, but even if they have, I think Adam could play up the star-struck angle without much trouble.
I’m excited to see all these big names back in action in Survivor season 40, but Adam was one winner I always hoped might get a chance to play again. If he can manage to make a helpful ally early on, he has the potential to go so far in a season like this. It will be more important than ever to use big targets as decoys, and since I don’t feel like anyone’s thinking of him as a big target, he just needs to find him a shiny, distracting shield.
Sarah Lacina
The first time she played, she was all about loyalty, and it didn’t pay off for her. The second time, she looked out for herself and flipped and flopped wherever it was most advantageous for her, and it got her to that $1 million check. I’m excited to see how her game changes this time around. We all know she’s smart enough to outwit, outplay, and outlast all these veterans of the game, but she may have to reinvent herself yet again to do so in Survivor season 40.
I just know that whatever game Sarah ends up playing is going to be fun to watch, because she’s every bit the schemer that most of the other returning winners are.
Sandra Diaz-Twine
Last, but most certainly never least, is the queen herself. Having won twice before, you’d think Sandra would have a target the size of a planet on her back, but we all watched her play and win in season 20, “Heroes vs. Villains” when she was one of only a handful of winners to return. I absolutely will not count her out simply because she has the most wins under her belt.
It is going to be nice to watch her do her thing again. It was fun to watch her coach some of the players last season, but it’s WAY more fun to see her getting her hands dirty passing the target onto someone else during tribal council after tribal council.
And I’m anxious to see what these two have up their sleeves…
Boston Rob and Amber Mariano
The only people who will have a bigger target on their heads than two-time winner Sandra Diaz-Twine in Survivor season 40 are Amber and Boston Rob. I mean, sure, two wins is going to make her a bit of a target, but she still is only one person. Amber and Rob are a fearsome twosome, and I’m sure no one would expect the happily married couple to turn on each other at any point.
So why would anyone align themselves with them? If Rob and Amber manage to make it through the first couple tribal councils, I feel like the target is just going to get bigger and bigger with time. A solid pair is a much greater threat than any one player, so, unless Rob and Amber can make their tribes believe they are playing two very separate games, it’s going to be a long, tough road to the $2 million dollars.