You could not ask for a better frame of reference than last season. It was fairly (and proceeded to get glaringly) apparent that Rob was the feature of the season and the high editing marks he received were to encompass a winner that the producers/editors were thrilled to have.

Although this is redundant from my post last season, I repeat the introduction for last season as, of course, it is relevant especially since this actually occurred last season.

As we saw firsthand, returning players always adds a dynamic to Survivor with a double edged sword. Is the player valuable because a jury would not give them a million dollars when they have played that many times before or do players want to get rid of them immediately so they don't even get close to the end for fear that they COULD actually win by a jury who may be impressed they got that far

My words from last season's post are italicized because quite ironically, each tribe did exactly the actions above (not necessarily for the reasons conveyed - solely the action) Rob got to the end (and won) and his tribe kept him! The other tribe wanted Russell gone immediately (and done fairly immediately)

With Ozzy and Coach, we may perhaps find this to occur again but on opposite issues. If we categorize Ozzy for Rob (in terms of providing, competitions, etc and edited more or less for the audience to like him) I would suspect this tribe will go the route that Russell's did last season and get rid of Ozzy as too dangerous to keep around. The flip side of this is that prior to the merge, this person is valuable to keep winning. Should we put Coach in the Russell category (Coach's edit was much better in H v. V but preceding edit was a true caricature and people wanted to get rid of him) this tribe, may, in fact, keep Coach around. It will be very interesting to see if these tribes do what was done last season - get rid of one early due to a large threatening nature and keep the other one with the belief they need not worry (in Rob's case, the tribe did not keep him due to not worrying but kept him nonetheless)

I would *suspect* if ANYONE is kept around it would be Coach over Ozzy but we have learned time and time again that players may think they are logical yet behave illogically.

Once again, with Redemption Island, the twist of being able to return to the game will also throw a twist and editing will play a crucial role in those that can re-enter the game as short term players normally do not receive loving hands in the shape of their edit. We saw firsthand why some who went to Redemption Island received a more "meaty" edit prior to their banishment so the edits formed PRIOR to their going to RI can assist in determining their longevity (by way of staying on RI or coming back to the game)

Considering we have this twist, those who boot Ozzy may recognize his ability in challenges and that may cause them to re-think an early boot decision as well.

Below are the "characters" and I would love input from those who are still interested in what this thread is about - dissecting the editing of the characters to determine their longevity and how they fit into the overall story the show wishes to convey. Please make any changes necessary to the information as well.

Blue Tribe

Benjamin “Coach” Wade – Previously in Survivor Tocantins and Heroes v. Villains. I felt a very palpable difference in his edit between both seasons. While a "clownish" character both times, there was a softening in his edit in H v. V and he became quite likeable. I think we all agree that Coach will always get a mindful effort due to his personality which may have no bearing on how well he does.

Albert Destrade (Age 25, Florida, Baseball Coach) Perhaps we have one "coach" enjoying the company of another coach and perhaps a fellow warrior? Will Albert be viewed as an automatic threat?

Brandon Hantz (Age 19, Texas,Tankerman) Will the family relationship help or hurt Brandon? I believe until it becomes a non-issue they will attempt to make into more of a story than necessary.

Christine Shields Markoski (Age 39, NY, Teacher) Of course we have Christine and Stacey as the older women - however we do have a racial divide, geographical divide to consider between the two so we can't necessarily believe the "older" women will stick together. She does appear the "motherly" type and dependent upon her physicality she could do well or be someone who may weaken her tribe

Edna Ma (Age 35, MD, California)Just under the "elder women" but we have geographical and racial diversity so it will be interesting to see who she finds common ground with (perhaps the medical student). She is very youthful looking to not stand out as "too old" and obviously very smart based on her occupation. Sometimes a smart woman is not valuable - her initial edit should reflect her longevity. Smart men do much better than overly smart women

Mikayla Wingle (Age 21, lingerie football player, FL)Albert and Mikayla have youth and geographical location in common. Obviously feminine wiles may play a role with Mikayla but that sometimes causes issues with the females. If she markets it correctly and offsets the flirting by showing she is valuable then she may be one of "those" girls who can do well.

Rick Nelson (Age 51, Utah, Cattle Rancher) The "eldest" on the tribe and he may forge a working relationship with Coach. On paper, despite being the eldest, he may do rather well as I suspect he will be shown as hard working, soft spoken and a father figure

Sophie Clarke (Age 22, NY, Med school student) I like the looks of this girl as I can see her being well received by both the men and women. She has some common ground in her occupation and residential area with others and appears that she could engage with most of her tribe.

Stacey Powell (Age 44, TX, Funeral Director)We have racial diversity by her which I take into consideration in terms of finding common ground with tribemates, I will find it extremely interesting to see how she is in this type of situation. As a funeral director, she does have to interact with people but the bane of this occupation can be solitary by nature. Can she handle this type of situation?

Red Tribe

Ozzy Lusth Previously on Cook Islands and Fans v. Favorites. Yet another very different edit in both seasons. He was given a stellar edit in CI where people were in awe of his athletic ability. He was not as engaging as the winner but the edit capitalized on how the contestants were amazed by his physicality. That was capitalized upon. In F v. F the edit took a different turn and focused more on his romance. The men in general were shown to be bamboozled by the female contestants as well. They marketed him for this season about his "winningest" This, of course, may be very valuable at the onset but a big threat which his tribe surely cannot overlook

Semhar Tadesse (Age 24, CA, Poet/Writer/Model) I don't think that Semhar was casted due to her being someone who can "outlast" It appears that she may be characterization the producers wanted. The first episode will tell us more but on paper I don't see her outlasting anyone else on this tribe

Dawn Meehan (Age, 40, Utah, Professor) A possible future Utah connection! The "mom" no doubt of the group. As discussed before, moms can do very well as long as they can keep up athletically and/or give everyone the sense of caretaking. There is nothing to indicate that she can't do well

Elyse Umemoto (Age 26, NV, Dance Team Manager)There had to be one on this side also! Does she go in for the kill immediately with the males on this tribe? Does the "femme fatale" strategy work with her? We've seen the successes and failures of this strategy and it is usually readily apparent within the first couple of episodes

Jim Rice (Age 34, CO, Marijuana Dispensary Owner)
I'm not entirely sure what goes into this profession but it should be interesting to see. He isn't exactly "older" but not exactly "younger" so I do wonder which age group he gravitates to. I do not like basing speculation over looks but he appears to be someone that tries a bit too hard and overextends himself

John Cochran (Age 23, VA, Law school student) Who has any doubt that this contestant will be given top billing as long as they can? As long as he does not physically bring his tribe to their knees, he can do amazingly well and we will know immediately by his edit the investment made in him. Non threatening by all, possibly extremely smart (and smart enough to know he shouldn't show how smart he is) he is most definitely someone who will be highlighted. The question is knowing whether it is due to "character" or end game.

Keith Tollefson (Age 26, CA, Environment Tech) Unlike some other young, fit men we have seen before who tend to be a bit brash, Keith appears to be not quite as machismo and may bond very well with Ozzy and the rest of his tribe. The women should like him well enough as well. There does not appear to be anything that should set off early game exit bells

Mark Anthony Caruso (Age 47, NY, Nurse/retired detective)Unfortunately Mark may find himself in a position that happens in Survivor where the "oldest" one goes. However, we have had many examples where some end up going very far. Ozzy is a competitor though and if Ozzy is placed as leader he may look to anyone who causes the tribe to lose. But Mark also has a very healthy resume and if he can portray the "father figure" coupled with his background, he may be safe for the time being.

Whitney Duncan (Age 26, TN, singer/songwriter) Obviously a featured cast member as her face has been on commercials constantly. She will be another to be highlighted and if she uses that Southern charm correctly she can do quite well. The "femme fatale" role is always up for grabs but one has to play the role very carefully or people get tired of it

Enjoy the season!