After 4 long months, the premiere of Survivor: Second Chances is finally here. For the first time since season 20 we have an all-returnee cast, so Survivor fans all around the world are predicting who, among the 20, will earn the coveted title, and finally get their redemption.

Survivor: Second Chances (least to most shot at winning the game)

 

20. Peih-Gee (Season 15, Survivor: China) 5th Place

 

In order for Peih-Gee to have a snowball’s chance in hell at winning Survivor: Second Chances, she, like many of the returnees, will need to do exactly the opposite of everything she did her first go-around. And like the other castaways, she is aware of her rookie season flaws, and will begin this season trying to avoid making the same mistakes.

During Survivor: China, Peih-Gee was bossy, untrustworthy, and made very few friends, but she claims this time she will “try to keep her mouth shut.” IF, Peih-Gee has changed her ways, and is not bossy, and opinionated, I fear that she will be trying way too hard to fit in, and will end up annoying her tribe by trying to be everyone’s best friend.

The day that Peih-Gee will effortlessly fit in with the “Survivor Cool Kids” will be the day that she will win Survivor: Never.

Final Prediction: If Peih-Gee is not voted off the first few weeks, she will be dragged to the final 3, and receive zero votes from the bitter jury.

 

19. Kass (Season 28, Survivor: Cagayan) 3rd Place

 

It is difficult to feel bad for Kass about her astronomically low odds of winning Survivor: Second Chances. Kass was so brutal in Cagayan, that she could mimic Mother Teresa in Cambodia, and her competitors would still be gunning for her.

The thing that Kass does have going for her, however, is that the rest of the castaways will know where they stand with her, and may decided to target the “devil they don’t know” before her. In fact, if we do not hear the exact phrase “the devil you know, vs. the devil you don’t know”, referring to Kass, I will eat my socks.

Final Prediction: #ChaosKass will appear on the bottom of our screens 8 times before Kass is voted off pre-jury.

 

18. Woo (Season 28, Survivor: Cagayan) 2nd Place 

 

It seems as though Woo has not had a haircut since before his Survivor: Cagayan debut, and fans should probably expect for that to be the only change we will see from Woo this time around.

Someone as laid back as Woo, is going to have a very difficult time playing against such hard core game players. He may have wooed over the audience his first season, but in order to win Second Chances he will have to woo over 19 blood-hungry castaways that are much more eager to win than he will be.

Final Prediction: With 4 cast members from Cagayan on this season, the others will likely gang up on them until at least 1 or 2 are voted off. Woo, with the exception of Kass, will probably be the most disposable. It will be a massive feat for Woo to make the merge.

 

17. Abi-Maria (Season 25, Survivor: Philippines) 5th Place

 

Abi-Maria is one of the most disliked female Survivor contestants of all time, and while she may have no chance of winning this season, I expect her to at least redeem herself in terms of being portrayed as an awful human being.

I don’t know if Brazil had The Facts of Life, but clearly Abi didn’t watch it, or was more of a Tootie fan, and had no love for Blair. Anyone that can be that mean to Lisa Whelchel, one of Mrs. Garrett’s girls should expect backlash from the millions of Facts of Life fans.

Final Prediction: Abi is probably nowhere near as much as a villain as she was portrayed in Survivor: Philippines, but her tribemates will still see her as a loose cannon, and it is doubtful that she will be anyone’s #1 as far as alliances are concerned. Abi-Maria will pull a Heroes Vs. Villains Jerri Manthey and will redeem herself in the eyes of the public, but will not win the game. Expect Abi-Maria to be a pre-jury boot.

 

16. Keith (Season 29, Survivor: San Juan Del Sur) 4th Place

 

Typically the older members on a tribe are seen as a physical liability, but that is not the case with Keith. He was a challenge beast in San Juan Del Sur, winning more individual immunity challenges than anyone else.

The concern with Keith, however, is his ability to relate to the other castaways and form solid bonds with them. I can see him butting heads with some of the ladies on his tribe, particularly Kass and Kimmi, and if the girls can bond together, Keith will probably be their number 1 target.

In fact, I am anxiously awaiting the first time that Kass is appalled by Keith “hocking a loogie” at camp.  The argument will inevitable be dubbed #spitspat by CBS and the hashtag will magically appear on our screen in hopes that we all tweet about the dispute.

Final Prediction: Keith will probably fly under the radar for a while, but will be remembered for his impressive immunity run in his prior season, and will be voted off mid jury.

 

15. Shirin (Season 30, Survivor: Worlds Apart) 8th Place

 

Shirin’s jury speech last season could end up biting her in the ass this season. Telling her competitors that you made your first million dollars at the age of 25 will not bode well for Shirin if she makes the final 3.

Typically returnees from back to back seasons do very well on Survivor (i.e. Rupert, Amanda, Russell) and I expect Shirin to continue the streak; IF she can survive the first few weeks. Shirin has established herself as trustworthy, and loyal: two traits that can go a long way when forming alliances early in the game. People will, and should, want to align with her immediately, as it is unlikely that the jury will want to reward a millionaire with another million.

There are so many huge threats this season, that if Shirin can stay calm, not annoy her tribe, and most importantly, keep her bathing suit on, she should make it deep in the game.

Final Prediction: Shirin will make it the final 3 and receive 1 vote from whoever her new Max Dawson is.

 

14. Kimmi Kappenburg (Season 2, Survivor: Australian Outback) 11th Place

 

If Kimmi Kappenberg does not survive until there is a reward challenge that involves the tribes receiving chickens, I am rioting. After 14 years, Kimmi is back and we may finally get to see her play the game. Back in the Australian Outback we only saw Kimmi survive 1 tribal council, in which the tribe unanimously voted off Debb in the first episode. As a result, we never really got to see Kimmi

play the game.

Kimmi has the potential to be a mastermind strategic player, and I desperately hope that she sticks around long enough for us to see her plot and scheme.

Like Shirin, there is a chance she could be seen as a challenge liability, which, on any other season, would make her an early target. This season, however, may have just the right amount of bigger early targets, which could help Kimmi fly under the radar right to the merge.

Final Prediction: She almost gets voted off many times before the merge, but manages to survive. Once the merge happens everyone forgets about her, and she cruises to the end of the game. She will be much more mature and likable than she was 14 years ago, and will be voted off in 4th place, due to the fact that she is well liked by the jury. She doesn’t win, but at the reunion she is so grateful for being able to actually play the game, and making it to the end. And Jeff Probst says the word “redemption” 6 times when referring to her.

 

13. Kelly Wiglesworth (Season 1, Survivor: Borneo) 2nd Place

 

Kelly Wiglesworth, the “Rafting Persona Queen” is back, and I can say with 100% certainty that this is the ONLY time I will ever wish Sue Hawk was back to play. Imagine a final tribal council in which the roles are reversed and Kelly, (along with the help of CBS writers), piece together a speech that tops Sue’s infamous season 1 speech, and Sue loses the game by one vote.

Yes, this would require a universe in which Sue Hawk could possibly be invited back, and wouldn’t possibly be voted off immediately, but a guy can dream, can’t he?

Back to reality… Wiglesworth should be used for a number in pre-existing alliances because she is 100% alone, and has no idea how to play modern day Survivor.

Kelly would be the most satisfying winner of all time, and the producers wet dream scenario. However, if Kelly can not adjust to communicating with humans (I’m assuming she lives in a Mexican jungle somewhere) she could be an early easy target, and super fans like Spencer, Shirin, and Kelley Wentworth would consider being able to vote off Kelly “The Rat” Wiglesworth as a dream come true.

Final Prediction: Unfortunately, I do not think Kelly will make the merge, but I have never hoped I was more wrong.

 

12. Joe (Season 30, Survivor: Worlds Apart) 10th Place

 

The golden boy from last season will have his work cut out for him if he wants to win Second Chances. Anyone that is not closely aligned with him will see him as a huge target and jump at the chance to vote him out. The good thing for Joe, however, is that a majority of the cast comes from recent seasons. If he can form a solid “New School” alliance, he can lead his troop to the merge by picking off all the old schoolers.

Regardless of new/old school though, Joe will be targeted once the individual portion of the game arrives. He may make it further than he did last season, but unless he wins 8 individual immunities in a row, he will not be vying for the prize once finale night rolls around.

Final Prediction: Joe will place mid jury and play a similar game to Malcom Freberg’s second season. In fact, I am still not convinced that Joe is not just Malcolm in disguise.

 

11. Terry (Season 12, Survivor: Panama) 3rd Place

 

Terry Deitz finally gets his second chance after dominating post merge in Survivor: Panama. Terry was one immunity challenge away from winning a million dollars, and the title. Like Keith, age will not be a factor for Terry as far as challenges are concerned. In fact, if he makes the merge, he will be a frontrunner for individual immunities. Because of this, Terry will likely be the merge boot, which should be an honor, because at 55 years old, he can still kick just about anyone’s ass out there.

It just so happens that Terry is on the same tribe as his former rival’s brother. His beef with Aras was a late game issue in Panama, and now Terry will start the game with his brother, Vytas. Throw in a new school / old school disconnect, and we could see Terry and Vytas going after each other from the get-go.

Final Prediction: Terry will emerge as the leader of his original tribe, and a tribal switch/swap/merge will knock him out of his leadership position and promptly voted out of the game.

 

10. Vytas (Season 27, Survivor: Blood Vs. Water) 10th Place

Vytas, the elder Baskauskas bro, has the potential to follow in his brother’s footsteps and win Survivor. Vytas, however, also has the potential to taint the Baskauskas family legacy of being 3/3 with making the jury/winning.

As stated with Terry, there is a possibility that Vytas and Terry could be gunning for each other due to previous Baskauskas-Deitz feud. I suppose it is also possible that they could bond over their love-hate relationship with Aras and they could become best friends. Either way, I think that Vytas could be a huge target for the first few weeks, but if he can form a solid alliance that stays in tact until the merge, he could have the goods to schmooze the jury and convince them to award him with a million dollars.

Final Prediction: If Vytas survives the first four episodes he will win the game. But, it will be a longggggggggg first four episodes for Vytas. If I was a betting man, which I am, my money is on Vytas’ stay in Cambodia being nothing more than a week long yoga retreat.

9. Stephen (Season 18, Survivor: Tocantins) 2nd Place

To the casual viewer, Stephen is nothing more than a long forgotten runner-up that will forever be in the shadow of the winner. JT has gone down as one of the most popular winners in the show’s history, and Stephen has been quickly forgotten.

But, to loyal fans of the show, and especially “superfans,” Stephen is a Survivor genius and student of the game. He is often mentioned as one of the greatest players to never win the game, and his fellow contestants are aware of this.  Much like Vytas, if Stephen can make it to the end of the game, he is smart enough to win the jury’s votes. But, Stephen will be a huge target early and often; not for being a physical threat, but for being so strategic.

Final Prediction: Stephen will be an early boot, much like one of the other “Best Players to Never Win the Game,” Rob Cesternino. Stephen will be a very early boot. The reason he is so high in the rankings is because of the slim chance the castaways let him make the merge, this game will be his to lose.

8. Ciera (Season 27, Survivor: Blood Vs. Water) 5th Place

Many castaways will want to align with Ciera. She is strong, strategic, sexy and not afraid to make big moves. The problem Ciera will run into, however, will be the people that she is not aligned with will want to target her as soon as possible. She is a great game player, and it will be difficult for her to hide under the rader for the first half of the game (the way she did in Blood Vs. Water.) 

Since she knows it will be difficult for her to fly under the radar, I expect her to come out of the gate with her fists swinging. If things fall into place for her early on, she can easily win. Ciera, however, will be a target all season, and will have to work her magic starting day one if she wants to win the game. Impossible? No. Improbable? Yes.

Final Prediction: Ciera will be in charge for the first half of the season, and just when she is sure she has the game in the bag, she will be blindsided mid jury.

7. Spencer (Season 28, Survivor: Cagayan) 4th Place

I predicted Spencer to win his first season from episode 1 and he made it to 4th place. Spencer has everything you need to win this game: he is likable, athletic, intelligent, and strategic. The problem with that is he also has everything you need to be voted off immediately in an all-stars season: he is likable, athletic, intelligent, and strategic.