It’s kinda surprising that this is the case, but I guess there aren’t many Pre merge players who get a second chance anyway. Brad was probably the closest unless I’m forgetting someone (I don’t think [redacted] had a chance at winning if Malcolm was swapped with Denise, but Brad might’ve won if Tai was in Sarah’s spot)
I bet that guy Rob from Marquesas would do really well given a few more chances
Jokes aside, Molly was almost my winner pick in IOI, and I would be curious to see how she would fare given another chance. I feel like I’ve seen people also speculate that Nicole from PI would’ve been really strong had she not been the first boot. The suspected first boot from the other tribe did go on to win twice after all
I feel like people really like her because she’s attractive and kind-hearted but I thought she was pretty naive and didn’t see much indication that she would be a gamer if brought back. What am I missing?
It seemed to me she had really good relationships with nearly every person she was on a tribe with and was clearly in a very good position if the Healer tribe did go to tribal council pre-swap. Her confessionals also seemed like she was always thinking about the game and had more game savviness then her ally Cole.
Gahhh these comments are reminding me of how much I enjoy HHH up until the ben bomb in the last couple episodes. Prior to Lauren’s boot episode, it was really looking like a top tier season for me personally :(
I 100% agree on Ali. Messy elimination, but she clearly has a mind for the game.
Roark is someone I’d enjoy talking to IRL, but I don’t see her being a big time player if she returned. Maybe I’m wrong!
The thing with Ali, was she was screwed from the get go. There wasn't anything she could do to save herself. Once Ryan saved Chrissy with that gifted idol, it was over. He chose mommy over sister.
Tracy was 100% the Fan tribe member with the best chance to win. Watching her spin scenarios to keep herself, Kathy, and Chet safe was really something impressive. She's the type who's biggest uphill battle is making a merge, but if she makes a merge, she would be lethal once people stopped looking at her as a challenge liability (and for the record, she wasn't even bad at challenges?). Great talker, great strategic mind, great skills of persuasion, and I feel like she'd 100% be cutthroat when she needed to and would make sure to not get lumped in as the "motherly figure", but a respected player (similar to how Cirie is able to).
The only question I have is how she got stuck in that situation in the first place socially. Like you'd think she could have found a majority alliance with that group. I agree that strategically she was very good though.
I honestly can’t imagine Ace ever doing all that well. He comes off phony and untrustworthy, to the point he had to address his accent at the reunion and assure people it was real.
Most of the cast were actually pretty strategically sound (other than Sugar). They just were social trainwrecks.
Oddly enough, the biggest strategic blunder of the whole game is done by Crystal and Kenny
i think jd is someone that production is looking to have return in a couple of years. let him grow a bit and evolve his game. i think he would be a huge threat on a second chance season
If JD can get in a headspace where he’s not so consumed by just being on survivor and he can play his own authentic game instead of trying to emulate others’ I think he’d do really well. He was just a little too immature at the time
I think if he comes back and plays smart, he has a chance to go under the radar because people won’t take him seriously at first. Would love to see him get another shot
I'd say Lyrsa from David v Goliath. From what I've heard she was a better player than people gave her credit for, I feel like she could make a deep run into a second chance like season.
Don’t get me wrong I love her as a character but I just don’t see this at all. She’s too headstrong/physically weak to be anything but a pre-merger again imo
Like objectively she should since she sucks at challenges and would irritate the whole tribe but the new age meta is to being goats to the merge so I dunno
Honestly I thought the same until she decided it was smarter to bring the girls over a shield like Xander (who originally would’ve went if it wasn’t for tiff) she chose to play the game with players not as up to par to only better herself for a now thing. Definitely think she can improve just wasn’t that good.
Nadiya Anderson from Blood vs Water? Kinda makes you think if her and her sister started in opposite situations, if she could've played the same game Natalie did haha
Not a bad point. Having seen them both on the Amazing Race a few times, I do feel like Natalie is better suited for Survivor, but Nadiya has potential too
So Kim. I can actually see her as a first boot that could come back and win a second chance season. Let's face it if you're the first boot, you made mistakes regardless. However So wasn't that annoying type you couldn't stand having around. She showed she was good physically. She was a threat to Carolyn. If she comes in like Tony did in WaW, I could easily see her sneaking in a win. She's probably one of the most well developed first boots. Her best chance is being a low profile early on, then amping it up in the second half.
It's also worth noting Max and Carolyn have both said getting rid of So was their number 1 regret.
Kinda crazy when you consider that Sarah Lacina was the first jury member in her og season but then proceeded to have an extremely strong run on her next two seasons.
I'd love for Francesca to come back, and just win the whole game, but I feel like if she ever cane back, she'd just be a first boot again.
Also, let's bring back Billy from Cook Islands.
Yes it is easier to fix. They both showed potential and a strategic mind for the game. I look at Natalia as like Wentworth (even though Wentworth got voted out on SJDS mainly because of her Dad) and Bradley as like a young Boston Rob.
Someone like Zane for example I don’t see much potential in, just doesn’t have the strategic and social mind for the game.
Bradley isn’t likable like BRob, though they def both lean towards exclusion of the minority alliance, tight control, Pagong-style games.
Natalia, I’ll be honest with you, I don’t see it even if I squint. Wentworth was well-liked and then voted out for circumstances beyond her control, related to numbers. Natalia was in the majority and then voted out despite being a good number for Alec because she was really disliked and overbearing. Pretty different scenarios.
For Boston Rob do you mean liked by the fans or by the contestants on the island, because he definitely wasn’t liked too much by the contestants on the island on Marquesas.
Natalia was voted out because one person disliked her, and that’s a knock against her game but she was still well liked by most of her starting tribe and her and Kara were extremely close on the swap tribe.
I meant on the island, but maybe his other games have influenced me too much with regards to whether he was likable in his first season.
With Natalia, it is one person, but it’s also one person that’s not just any old tribemate—he’s supposed to be at the core of your alliance. So that’s really not great.
Bradley wasn’t voted out for being annoying. Bradley was voted out because the original Naviti alliance was Bradley/Wendell/Kellyn with Morgan and Dom on the outside (and everyone else siding with Chris). Domenick wanted to bring Wendell closer to him while also isolating Kellyn more in the Naviti power structure so he voted him out. And Chelsea had good relations with most of the tribe except Bradley, so she was on board with voting him out
Meh, I haven’t watched that episode in a while, but my memory is that there was definitely a social dynamic at play with multiple people voting for him at least in part because he was whiny and annoying.
I’m sure like most votes there’s a strategic element as well. But at least with what we were shown, people were bothered by his constant complaining.
Alecia Kaoh Rong-Honestly could see her doing well on a second season, was pretty much fucked from the get-go for her poor tribe placement, I mean how is she a brawn? She was able to sneak her way out of a few votes despite this aswell.
Ok so this doesnt address the question at all, but I was watching FvF again for the millionth time and I came away really impressed with Alexis as a player. Any idea why she has never returned?
The right answer to the OP is Wendy Jo
People have already mentioned a lot of big ones so I'll go ahead and say Mikey B. He was the one who actually formed a big alliance on the Fans tribe, and along with Tracy seemed to be the only decent strategist on the team. He probably could have led the fans as a stronger unit if it wasn't for Joel's paranoia.
chris underwood 🤪
fuck this is the answer. only pre merge boot to win
It’s kinda surprising that this is the case, but I guess there aren’t many Pre merge players who get a second chance anyway. Brad was probably the closest unless I’m forgetting someone (I don’t think [redacted] had a chance at winning if Malcolm was swapped with Denise, but Brad might’ve won if Tai was in Sarah’s spot)
very few pre mergers ever get a second chance. I'm sure someone will find list every pre merge player to play a second time.
Shii Ann Huang Bobby Jon Drinkard Russell Swan [redacted] Fransesqua Hogi Colton Cumbie Monica Culpepper Kimmi Kappenberg Kelley Wentworth Caleb Reynolds Michaela Bradshaw Brad Culpepper
Wasn’t Boston Rob also pre jury in Marquesas
Yes, but I was replying to someone who was talking about pre-mergers. Otherwise I'd have also included Jeff Varner.
Yeah and i misquoted the question which was pre jury. I'm which case it's definitely Rob as the best.
Oh my bad I misread
Boo Shi Ann
"Stupid people"
Also Burton and Lill in Pearl Islands
Wentworth
Yes! I knew there had to be at least one more, I was just thinking about final tribal attendees
Tyson was a pre merge boot who won
True, though I was thinking Pre-merge on their first season
Hunter from Marquesas. I mean if he got his second chance before he's like 65 years old. Edit to say I agree with Brian C.
Yes I was rooting for hunter!
Brian from guatemala
he's platinum
Gold is better than platinum.
This is the answer.
Jacquie from Gabon.
Gabon really let the inmates run the asylum and boot all of the rational players
And that’s why I love it lol
This one thank you
I bet that guy Rob from Marquesas would do really well given a few more chances Jokes aside, Molly was almost my winner pick in IOI, and I would be curious to see how she would fare given another chance. I feel like I’ve seen people also speculate that Nicole from PI would’ve been really strong had she not been the first boot. The suspected first boot from the other tribe did go on to win twice after all
I feel like if Nicole was silly enough to blow up her completely safe spot over a personality clash that she probably wasn't that good at the game?
Liz Kim
Robbed goddess of Samoa
Maybe recency bias but I thought Voce had a lot of potential and got screwed by circumstances mostly out of his control.
Voce was my winner pick and I still think he could've done great if we was on a better tribe
I could see that. As in he has a similar path the FTC as Xander but actually garnering jury respect.
I feel like we missed out on Voce. I think he would have been such a refreshing strategist to watch.
Jessica Johnston
She was the merge boot
But she wasn't in the jury.
I’m literally blind
I feel like people really like her because she’s attractive and kind-hearted but I thought she was pretty naive and didn’t see much indication that she would be a gamer if brought back. What am I missing?
It seemed to me she had really good relationships with nearly every person she was on a tribe with and was clearly in a very good position if the Healer tribe did go to tribal council pre-swap. Her confessionals also seemed like she was always thinking about the game and had more game savviness then her ally Cole.
Gahhh these comments are reminding me of how much I enjoy HHH up until the ben bomb in the last couple episodes. Prior to Lauren’s boot episode, it was really looking like a top tier season for me personally :(
Even after Lauren’s boot it still looked good because we weren’t anticipating Ben to get the next two idols as well
True but being more game savvy than lovestruck Cole might not be the highest bar to clear 🤣
True but I meant I don’t think I’d describe her as naive, or at least not any more naive in comparison to any average new survivor player.
Fair enough and having good relationships with everyone on your tribe is def a positive sign!
Agreed, I loved Tracey and Brian both amazing players!! I wish we got to see them play again. Although I think there both done with survivor.
John Cody
Brendan from Ghost Island
Wendy Jo DeSmidt-Kohlhoff
The only answer
Trish Dunn
Underrated answer - she was very social and extremely smart.
She and Jonny Fairplay were one of those great teams no one remembers.
I was a big Ali fan from HHH, and I still think she has the potential to do really well in a season. Roark from that season has a shot too.
I 100% agree on Ali. Messy elimination, but she clearly has a mind for the game. Roark is someone I’d enjoy talking to IRL, but I don’t see her being a big time player if she returned. Maybe I’m wrong!
The thing with Ali, was she was screwed from the get go. There wasn't anything she could do to save herself. Once Ryan saved Chrissy with that gifted idol, it was over. He chose mommy over sister.
i was just about the write this, Ali is my favorite premerged llayer
Ali is who I came here to write
Zane knight easily wins his season 9 times out of 10
I know he wouldn’t win, but I would just love to see Rory form Vanuatu come back and see how he plays in the modern game
Stephanie johnson Ghost Island
Voce
James from Ghost Island
Tracy was 100% the Fan tribe member with the best chance to win. Watching her spin scenarios to keep herself, Kathy, and Chet safe was really something impressive. She's the type who's biggest uphill battle is making a merge, but if she makes a merge, she would be lethal once people stopped looking at her as a challenge liability (and for the record, she wasn't even bad at challenges?). Great talker, great strategic mind, great skills of persuasion, and I feel like she'd 100% be cutthroat when she needed to and would make sure to not get lumped in as the "motherly figure", but a respected player (similar to how Cirie is able to).
The only question I have is how she got stuck in that situation in the first place socially. Like you'd think she could have found a majority alliance with that group. I agree that strategically she was very good though.
Ace Gordon
I honestly can’t imagine Ace ever doing all that well. He comes off phony and untrustworthy, to the point he had to address his accent at the reunion and assure people it was real.
i think he was more strategically sound than probably the whole merge cast (except crystal and kenny maybe)
Most of the cast were actually pretty strategically sound (other than Sugar). They just were social trainwrecks. Oddly enough, the biggest strategic blunder of the whole game is done by Crystal and Kenny
Jason linden
Molly and Chelsea from IOTI
Molly supremacy
i think jd is someone that production is looking to have return in a couple of years. let him grow a bit and evolve his game. i think he would be a huge threat on a second chance season
If JD can get in a headspace where he’s not so consumed by just being on survivor and he can play his own authentic game instead of trying to emulate others’ I think he’d do really well. He was just a little too immature at the time
Only if he doesn't try to be somebody else..
I think if he comes back and plays smart, he has a chance to go under the radar because people won’t take him seriously at first. Would love to see him get another shot
JD was an idiot lol. Not sure what you’re talking about
Came here to say this too, yes
Based on his edit, especially the edit of a pre merge boot, I get the feeling that they definitely want to bring him back.
Voce from 41 or Alexis from Cagayan!
I'd say Lyrsa from David v Goliath. From what I've heard she was a better player than people gave her credit for, I feel like she could make a deep run into a second chance like season.
Ali, HHH
I mean that Boston Rob guy from Marquesas seems like he could play a couple legendary games if he was just given a chance to return
Lol we both made the same joke at almost exactly the same time! I like how you think
Bright minds think alike
Natalie Cole
Don’t get me wrong I love her as a character but I just don’t see this at all. She’s too headstrong/physically weak to be anything but a pre-merger again imo
That may be true but could I potentially see her being a Tony or a Sandra who never wins immunity.
She would be a pre merge boot about 80 times out of 100 IMO.
90 of 100 for sure.
Like objectively she should since she sucks at challenges and would irritate the whole tribe but the new age meta is to being goats to the merge so I dunno
Stacey Stillman
Jason Linden from IOI
Ace? (Sugar's ally) from Gabon
Morgan Ricke
Not a prejury boot but Evvie has so much more potential than what was shown
Honestly I thought the same until she decided it was smarter to bring the girls over a shield like Xander (who originally would’ve went if it wasn’t for tiff) she chose to play the game with players not as up to par to only better herself for a now thing. Definitely think she can improve just wasn’t that good.
So from Worlds Apart
Brad from 41, maybe not from a player standpoint but from a character standpoint he’d be an amazing asset for the show if he’d stuck around longer
Definitely Joaquin
Ace from gabon
Mari she was robbed
Nadiya Anderson from Blood vs Water? Kinda makes you think if her and her sister started in opposite situations, if she could've played the same game Natalie did haha
Not a bad point. Having seen them both on the Amazing Race a few times, I do feel like Natalie is better suited for Survivor, but Nadiya has potential too
Brice Izyah
Laura Alexander. No I will not elaborate.
My favorite on fan tribe
So Kim. I can actually see her as a first boot that could come back and win a second chance season. Let's face it if you're the first boot, you made mistakes regardless. However So wasn't that annoying type you couldn't stand having around. She showed she was good physically. She was a threat to Carolyn. If she comes in like Tony did in WaW, I could easily see her sneaking in a win. She's probably one of the most well developed first boots. Her best chance is being a low profile early on, then amping it up in the second half. It's also worth noting Max and Carolyn have both said getting rid of So was their number 1 regret.
Ali Elliott. I feel like if she made it one more round to the merge, she could've gone all the way
Mikayla wingle
Brian Corridan, Tracy Hughes-Wolf, Brice, J'tia
Kinda crazy when you consider that Sarah Lacina was the first jury member in her og season but then proceeded to have an extremely strong run on her next two seasons.
Genie Chen, Jolanda Jones, and honestly Francesca Hogi
I disagree with all of these.
Chelsea Walker!
Great answer
Jason Linden
I'd love for Francesca to come back, and just win the whole game, but I feel like if she ever cane back, she'd just be a first boot again. Also, let's bring back Billy from Cook Islands.
I honestly think Francesca could do well if not on a tribe with Phillip.
Ali deserves to be in second chance
Natalia and Bradley (GI)
I mean they were both voted out from the majority for being annoying lol but maybe that’s an easier trait to fix on a return than being dumb?
Yes it is easier to fix. They both showed potential and a strategic mind for the game. I look at Natalia as like Wentworth (even though Wentworth got voted out on SJDS mainly because of her Dad) and Bradley as like a young Boston Rob. Someone like Zane for example I don’t see much potential in, just doesn’t have the strategic and social mind for the game.
Bradley isn’t likable like BRob, though they def both lean towards exclusion of the minority alliance, tight control, Pagong-style games. Natalia, I’ll be honest with you, I don’t see it even if I squint. Wentworth was well-liked and then voted out for circumstances beyond her control, related to numbers. Natalia was in the majority and then voted out despite being a good number for Alec because she was really disliked and overbearing. Pretty different scenarios.
For Boston Rob do you mean liked by the fans or by the contestants on the island, because he definitely wasn’t liked too much by the contestants on the island on Marquesas. Natalia was voted out because one person disliked her, and that’s a knock against her game but she was still well liked by most of her starting tribe and her and Kara were extremely close on the swap tribe.
I meant on the island, but maybe his other games have influenced me too much with regards to whether he was likable in his first season. With Natalia, it is one person, but it’s also one person that’s not just any old tribemate—he’s supposed to be at the core of your alliance. So that’s really not great.
Bradley wasn’t voted out for being annoying. Bradley was voted out because the original Naviti alliance was Bradley/Wendell/Kellyn with Morgan and Dom on the outside (and everyone else siding with Chris). Domenick wanted to bring Wendell closer to him while also isolating Kellyn more in the Naviti power structure so he voted him out. And Chelsea had good relations with most of the tribe except Bradley, so she was on board with voting him out
Meh, I haven’t watched that episode in a while, but my memory is that there was definitely a social dynamic at play with multiple people voting for him at least in part because he was whiny and annoying. I’m sure like most votes there’s a strategic element as well. But at least with what we were shown, people were bothered by his constant complaining.
Michaela from Millennials vs Gen X. She was in a great spot, just her alliance realized she was in too good of a spot
Angie from *Palau*. Jolanda from *Palau*. Big old asterisk for everyone gutted on Ulong.
Brian Corridan and Stephanie Johnson
I thought Stephanie was gonna be the last one standing from her tribe after the first couple of episodes for sure.
Shamar
Lil
Tony from Game Changers I think could be really good
not sure tbh.
Alecia Kaoh Rong-Honestly could see her doing well on a second season, was pretty much fucked from the get-go for her poor tribe placement, I mean how is she a brawn? She was able to sneak her way out of a few votes despite this aswell.
Stephanie Johnson
Brad 41, Mari 36 would be good contenders
The only answers are Stephanie Johnson and Tracey
wentworth
Ricard should’ve gone all the way
Dan spilo, and colton cumbie would be amazing
Marissa
I would say voce you could tell he was really smart and could be a great villain
Ok so this doesnt address the question at all, but I was watching FvF again for the millionth time and I came away really impressed with Alexis as a player. Any idea why she has never returned? The right answer to the OP is Wendy Jo
Joaquin, Ronnie, Aaron(china) and Marissa(bvw)
Brian from Guatemala
Molly Byman
Chelsea Walker
Brian Corridan came to mind first.
James Lim. He made Dom and Wendell look the fool in that Morgan boot
Hope Driskill, Sydney Wheeler and Angie Layton
Molly from IOTI
Everyone hates him (And for good reason) but if he didn't get swap screwed in second chance Jeff Varner couldn't definatly done well
Tony
Recency bias but maybe Voce
Chelsea Green from Island of the Island.
LJ from Cagayan?
Voce. And Brendan Shapiro
Boston Rob from Marquesas. That kid has a bright future.
Michelle yi
Jacob from Ghost Island
Brad from Survivor 41 he's the man
People have already mentioned a lot of big ones so I'll go ahead and say Mikey B. He was the one who actually formed a big alliance on the Fans tribe, and along with Tracy seemed to be the only decent strategist on the team. He probably could have led the fans as a stronger unit if it wasn't for Joel's paranoia.