RNO Roundtable – ‘Survivor: Cook Islands’ Predictions

Nathan "Nate" Gonzalez

Brian: Musician and shoe salesman Nate must have been recruited. Another non-watcher of the show, I expect his physical nature to keep him in the game for a few weeks, but ultimately end up as a pre-jury boot.

Jeffrey S.: People in artistic/creative fields have trouble going far in the game because they typically lack the necessary discipline and far-sightedness to be good strategists, but I get the feeling from Nathan’s profile that he will go against type. He seems to have a practicality about him that I think will serve him well. He makes the jury.

Jenn: Nate is adorable. He looks like a big teddy bear. I think he could make it all the way to the final four, and I hope he does. His athletic ability isn’t mentioned much in his bio, but look at those arms! He has to work out. He’ll do fine.

Jeffrey C.: Early on, I try to identify people who I think will be misfits in their initial tribes. Nathan comes across as one due to an age gap with this tribemates. I think he'll be an early cut from the tribe, and won't make it to jury duty.

David: I have a “no clue” vibe from Nate – that is, I have no clue about him. But as I’ve done before, if I can’t get anything that tells me a person will go far, that probably means they won’t.

Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth

Brian: Funny thing, in his official CBS bio it says he “moved ten times in his teen years to seven U.S. States and Central America while his mother remarried.” Does that mean his mother remarried ten times while Ozzy was a teenager? At any rate, he has diving and swimming skills… and who has the stones to tell a guy named “Ozzy” he’s not wanted? Despite hair that’s the male version of Jessica’s, I’m going to place him on my jury.

Jeffrey S.: Here’s another potential exception to the rule, as he seems a free spirit on the outside, but there appears to be shrewdness about him. And his travel experiences show a great ability to adapt. He’s jury material.

Jenn: Ozzy took Ethan’s hair. Yikes. Anyway, Ozzy knows how to spearfish, which will be a huge asset to his tribe. He can also hold his breath for three minutes and dive to 30 feet, so he’ll do well in water challenges. Plus, he’s been in the wilderness a lot, so he’ll be better equipped to handle nature than most of the other Survivors. Jury, absolutely.

Jeffrey C.: I think the key to Oscar's survival will be spear fishing. If his tribe gets the gear early, his position will have greatly improved. Even if they don't, he might be kept around on the assumption he'll be useful at some point where they do win it.

David: If Ozzy’s tribe gets rid of him, they deserve to lose challenges. He is made for Survivor competitions. But is he made for Survivor? That’s the key. I think he’ll make it to the jury, but no further.

Parvati Shallow

Brian: In almost every season, one of the young gals takes on the “bunny” role, and my money’s on cute Parvati assuming the role this season. Those swimming skills never hurt, either. We’ll see her on every episode.

Jeffrey S.: On the plus side, she shows a good drive to succeed. But I fear she’s one of the several who are there more for chasing celebrity status than for playing, so I don’t think she makes the jury.

Jenn: Parvati is not just a pretty face. She’s smart (she majored in journalism and minored in French), resourceful (she put herself through college), athletic (she’s studied martial arts and she boxes), and she loves the outdoors. She reminds me of Danni, and we all know how things turned out for her. I think Parvati will make it all the way to the final four.

Jeffrey C.: I'm not getting a good read on Parvati, but what I can see I don't like. I think her youth will work against her and she'll be cut before she can make it to the jury phase.

David: Her bio says she’s a boxer, but let’s face it, it’s model boxing – she’s a model. Yes, a model has won before, and I even predicted it pre-show, but I don’t see that happening this time around. In fact, I see her leaving pretty early.

Rebecca Borman

Brian: Her bio reads awfully soft. I expect the daily make-up artist for Survivor Elisabeth will find out that talking about the game and playing it are completely different things. Early boot.

Jeffrey S.: Rebecca seems to have a similar disease as Jonathan. I’m sure the backstage cattiness she must endure will give her some diplomatic skills, but it would be an unusual makeup artist that has the brains to succeed in Survivor. Playing the odds, she’ll not make the jury.

Jenn: I’m not seeing what Rebecca will bring to the game. She looks like an interesting person to spend an afternoon with, but that doesn’t mean anything for Survivor. I don’t think she’ll make it as far as the jury.

Jeffrey C.: While she may have an insider track from former Survivor Elisabeth, her tribe will have to make cuts, and I'm not sure she's the strongest of the group when it comes to challenges. Therefore I have to see her getting cut before the jury phase.

David: I agree with the rest of the group. “Make-up artist” does not scream “strategic genius” to me. I think she’ll find herself completely out of her element and end up getting sent home quickly. Maybe she can do Jeff Probst’s make-up after she’s booted.

Sekou Bunch

Brian: As the oldest (although 45 is not old) and heaviest player this season, I wonder how Sekou can fare in the challenges. I admire his accomplishments but I’m not sure how they’ll help him in this game. An early boot.

Jeffrey S.: Here’s a celebrity career exception, because he has had to learn to work in a highly-competitive, shallow industry from behind the scenes – and has succeeded, skills that should transfer well to the game. His biography also conveys a sense of maturity a good proportion of his opponents will not have. He’s a final four candidate.

Jenn: Something about Sekou makes me think he’ll last for a while. He’s almost as well-rounded as Cao Boi, which means that he probably adapts to strange situations well. He’s a big, muscular guy, which means he’ll most likely do well in physical challenges. As for smart, I can’t tell at this point. But something tells me not to discount him. I’ll say he makes the jury.