Cagayan cast preview

Brawn vs brains vs beauty - can you guess which is which?

The concept of Cagayan is to find out which quality is most important to winning Survivor - physical strength, strategic acumen or social skills? Odds are someone with a combination of all three will be the one who goes all the way and I'll tell you who I think that is shortly. But overall, what I'm expecting from this season is some people who let their label go to their head, some people who will have to retool their strategy completely and some people who'll prove everyone wrong - or right - about the stereotypes associated with them.

BRAWN TRIBE

CLIFF ROBINSON - NBA star
Brawn: 10 Brains: 7 Beauty: 7

Holy crap, Cliff TOWERS over everyone! Famous former athletes have a mixed track record on Survivor but as long as he came to play like Jeff Kent and not to be a tourist like Jimmy Johnson, I'll support him. He seems like a cool guy.



TRISH HEGARTY - Pilates instructor
Brawn: 9 Brains: 8 Beauty: 6

Trish's level of focus impressed me. She reminds me a little of Denise and I think she has the maturity and self-awareness to be able to pull off the win.

TONY VLACHOS - Jersey cop
Brawn: 9 Brains: 6 Beauty: 7

Is this guy really a cop? He looks more like an ex-con. Tony talks about "the streets" a lot, and seems to think Survivor is gonna be exactly like his job. I can see him playing aggressive though and that's what I like to see.



SARAH LACINA - Cop/MMA fighter
Brawn: 9 Brains: 8 Beauty: 8

It seems like a Tony/Sarah alliance is inevitable based on the cop connection and the video pretty much confirmed that. I like her odds of going far. She's going to be a challenge beast but not as big of a threat as some of the guys.


YUNG "WOO" HWANG - Surfer/martial arts expert
Brawn: 10 Brains: 9 Beauty: 8

Is he really going by "Woo"? Yikes. Anyway, this guy seems very well-rounded and fulfills enough Asian stereotypes that it's a surprise he wasn't on the brains tribe. But I don't see him winning. Others are going to be intimidated by his athleticism and target him, and he's too laid-back to be able to stop it.

LINDSEY OGLE - The tattooed lady
Brawn: 8 Brains: 7 Beauty: 6

I love Lindsey's hair, I think it looks really cool. Lindsey was kinda cute in her video and I think she's gonna be a loud character. In fact, she might end up being too outspoken or letting her emotions get the best of her. And if she's the weakest female on her tribe, that's reason enough to get rid of her right away.



BRAINS TRIBE

SPENCER BLEDSOE - Chess master
Brawn: 5 Brains: 9 Beauty: 6

Spencer was exactly what I expected him to be - the guy who thinks he's smarter than everyone and fancies himself as a villainous mastermind. He does seem to be a big fan so I'll give him a chance, but his arrogance is a major turn-off.

J'TIA TAYLOR - Model/scientist
Brawn: 6 Brains: 10 Beauty: 8

J'Tia has a heck of a career behind her...going from modelling to nuclear engineering, and it's that kind of life experience that's going to help her in the game. She definitely seems like a strong woman and will be a force to be reckoned with.

GARRETT ADELSTEIN - Poker player
Brawn: 8 Brains: 8 Beauty: 8

I had high hopes for Garrett after seeing he was the surprise choice for the brains tribe but then I read his bio. If he does have intelligence, he's hiding it well. Which is not impossible considering he's a poker player. Jean-Robert did a lot to disprove the theory that poker players will all be stealthy strategic badasses, can Garrett rebuild that?

KASSANDRA MCQUILLEN - Lawyer mom
Brawn: 5 Brains: 9 Beauty: 5

I thought Kassandra's bio was pretty funny. She doesn't take herself too seriously and has a realistic assessment of her own skills, which helps immensely on Survivor. Providing she doesn't slow her tribe down too much and get booted early, she could go far.

DAVID SAMSON - Baseball club owner
Brawn: 7 Brains: 10 Beauty: 7

This guy bailed on his club during the baseball season, which gives me asshole vibes straight away. But I'm not gonna lie, I actually find him pretty funny. In his bio, he talked about the "inherent insecurity" the brawns and beauties will face. Anyone who can throw shade that effortlessly is gonna be entertaining.

TASHA FOX - Religious cheerleader
Brawn: 8 Brains: 8 Beauty: 9

She's very cheerful and lovely, but she could end up getting walked all over. Tasha is someone who could've been on any of the three tribes, but less because she's a "jack of all trades" and more because she doesn't stand out. Here's a fun stat though, you'd have to go back to Cook Islands to find the last time two black women were on the same tribe.


BEAUTY TRIBE

ALEXIS MAXWELL - Glam Latina
Brawn: 6 Brains: 6 Beauty: 10

I feel bad calling Alexis stupid, because you obviously have to have some smarts to study at Northwestern University. But listening to her talk, she does seem woefully delusional and out of her depth. She's gonna be fun, though. When asked about her luxury items she chose...more bikinis! Hey, all the better for shaking that perfect ass in.

JEREMIAH WOOD - Southern model
Brawn: 8 Brains: 6 Beauty: 9

Hopefully he's not as dumb as his accent makes him sound, or the beauty tribe is gonna have a tough time shedding their reputation as the airheads. It looks like there's going to be a lot of big egos in this cast, but I don't think Jeremiah will be one of them. His easy-going charm could take him far.

MORGAN MCLEOD - Cheerleader with the rack
Brawn: 7 Brains: 6 Beauty: 10

Morgan is the wild child of the cast...total bitch, full of herself and not afraid to use her looks to get ahead. Although willingly comparing herself to Natalie Tenerelli is concerning, she did have the best line of any bio: "Just because I have huge boobs and a pretty face does not mean I am dumb, it just means I look better when I am winning."

L.J. MCKANAS - Boston horse trainer
Brawn: 9 Brains: 7 Beauty: 8

LJ is from Boston and that automatically means he wants to emulate Boston Rob. And like Rob, he loves puzzles. His strength will make him too indispensable to get rid of pre-merge, but there won't be any hiding place for him once the endgame starts.

JEFRA BLAND - Pageant girl
Brawn: 7 Brains: 7 Beauty: 9

Based on her occupation and last name, you'd be forgiven for not taking Jefra seriously. But she doesn't seem vapid at all - she refreshingly claimed she's NOT here to flirt, and she has all the enthusiasm and adorableness of fellow Miss Kentucky and reality star Mallory Ervin. Her Southern girl roots will give her the edge over the other girls in terms of challenge ability.

BRICE JOHNSTON - Fahionable gay guy
Brawn: 6 Brains: 7 Beauty: 7

Brice definitely brings the sass in his video, and the part where he talks about being unable to control his facial expressions is hilarious. It certainly seems like he's going to be a big personality, but I don't think he's long for the game at all. Summing him up in one word - delusional.