Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers Episode 6: Break-Ups And Breakdowns

Ali is not sure why Ryan didn't tell her the vote, and he says because her and Roark were getting too close. Ali downplays that connection and says Ryan was her closest ally, but he's not having it. Ryan originally wanted to keep working with Ali, but realizes he can't if she's mad at him.

Mike burns a fish that he caught, which makes the rest of the tribe laugh. But Ben appreciates his effort a lot more than Cole, who is hogging the food and being argumentative about it. Lauren and Ben have a bitch session about Cole, and bring Mike into it too.

Rough waters ahead

The reward challenge is to hold up a buoy using poles, use it to unlock a boat, then paddle out to a platform where you must shoot at two targets. JP and Ali get their buoy first, whilst Ashley and Desi drop three times. Soko blow their lead by failing to untie the boat and it's a dead heat with them and Yawa. JP and Ben take a while to get the hang of the slingshot, having to battle the waters and allowing Levu to catch up. JP gives Soko a win, and Yawa come second.

The patented Anna pose

As Soko eat their pizza, the whole tribe praises JP's stellar performance. But it's also putting a target on his back, as they know the merge is coming soon. On Levu, Ashley tries to talk Desi into voting out Joe. Devon is keeping his eye on Joe as they go for a coconut hunt, but doesn't spot him find the clue. (Why did he need a clue anyway? He knew it was at the well.) Joe declares he will find the idol that night, and come nightfall, manages to do just that. I think he just secured his spot and Desi's.

On Yawa, Cole's hands are shaking. He then faints and hits the ground hard. Mike is luckily on hand to treat him, and diagnoses his problem as not having enough food. Wasn't it the opposite last week? At any rate, Jessica has now realized she cares for Cole more than she thought...but Mike is actually now on board with getting him out for being a liability.

Pride comes before a fall

Tipping point

The immunity challenge is for 4 tribe members to hold up a platform with a rope and then stack blocks on top of it to spell immunity.  Soko are first to lose theirs, as Levu and Yawa get 5 done. Levu then drop, and Yawa fall as Cole is putting down the last one. Now Soko are in the lead, with Levu behind them, but Yawa are catching up quickly since they seem to have figured out how to keep it stable. All three of them have their blocks placed, now it's just getting back. Yawa do it first to win the challenge, whilst Soko's topples. Levu manage to get it, keeping themselves safe too.

Coming back from the challenge, Ali knows she's the clear target, but Ryan tells her he still wants to play with her and wants JP out. Ali makes a pledge of loyalty to Chrissy, and points out how JP is a challenge threat. Chrissy isn't sure she can trust Ali, but goes to see what Ryan thinks, as they need to make the decision together.

At tribal council, Ryan and Ali detail their blow-up, with Ali saying it's behind them now. JP says he's worried physical players will start to get voted out now that it's near the merge, but even Probst points out how he's barely trying to make a case for himself.

Don't worry, girl - I feel the same way

The votes are revealed, and it seems they swung towards getting rid of Ali, like I figured they would. She lets out a few tears. Hope you enjoy being bottom of the Heroes, Ryan. To see a player as good as Ali leave before the merge is a tragedy, but I'm still excited to find out what happens next.

STAR OF THE WEEK: MIKE ZAHALSKY

Mike is branching out and making new friends, which he'll probably need if the Healers go down. He seemed positioned as a powerful swing vote on Yawa, but not needing to decide just yet is even better for his game.

Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers Episode 5: Battle Of Smarts

Ashley and Joe are good-natured after tribal, with Ashley congratulating him on a good move. But with her fellow Hero gone, her position is a bit more uncertain now and the tribe appears to be deadlocked.

Shots fired

On Yawa, the bamboo in the fire makes some loud popping sounds, which has a strong affect on Ben. The tribe soon realize he might have PTSD as he goes off alone in the water. Ben gets a nice moment to talk about his life experiences, and it's nice to see Survivor shine a light on a struggle we haven't seen before.

Ryan could stand to be a little more headstrong

The castaways compete for a coffee reward in the return of the weird snake challenge, only this time they're pushing a ball. Jessica, Desi and Roark start us off, with Desi racing into the lead. Ashley also does pretty well and in no time at all Levu are onto Joe. Roark struggles at first but Soko get back into it when Mike has a hard time. Ryan however loses his ball on a hill multiple times, giving them a massive setback. Devon has a huge headstart on shooting into the basket, but is making slow progress. Cole starts shooting, but Devon wins it for Levu. Ryan does finally complete his part of the challenge after taking forever, but it's too late to even get to the next part.

Levu enjoy their food, a well-earned break from their craziness. May this give them the confidence that they are a strong tribe after all. Devon makes sure Ashley knows that he's still focused on Joe, and she is too. They both think they can get Desi to flip on him, but that remains to be seen.

I, uh...what was this scene about? I was distracted

Ryan apologizes for blowing the challenge and has some damage control to do, but luckily for him he's been able to coast by on his social game so far. Roark talks with Ali and she says she can help Ali get in with some of the girls, plus Cole and Mike. Ali tells Ryan she feels good about Roark and wants to target Chrissy. Ryan agrees, but obviously that's not good for him as they have the idol connection.

Cha-ching, baby!

Cole is eating way too much food on his tribe now - incredible how he keeps finding new ways to suck. Jessica and Mike go off to the well, with the blonde hoping to strengthen this bond a little more. Mike digs for the idol, knowing that Cole and Joe found theirs around here, and he finds it. Great, now just don't tell Cole!

The immunity challenge is to carry heavy bags through the water, over a balance beam, then cut them open and use the balls inside to go through a hole-filled pulley maze. Levu have a tough time getting their bags through the gate and are left in last...until Devon and Desi destroy the balance beam part and move them into first. JP ends up having to carry all three bags as Soko lag behind. Ashley vs Ben on the maze, Ben does it very quickly and Ashley is right behind him. Chrissy has a hard time and Ali has to sub in. Jessica gets Yawa's second, with Ali and then Devon getting them next. Chrissy has another go, but it doesn't go much better than her first attempt. Cole closes out a win for Yawa, as Desi gives Levu 2nd place.

Chrissy talks to Roark about doing a girls alliance, but Roark laughs it off as this is the first strategy conversation Chrissy has head with her. Sensing this is not gonna work, Chrissy now decides to target Raork by telling JP that she was the one trying to get the guys out...and the fireman is shockingly easy to sway. Ali and Chrissy are both pulling Ryan in different directions, making him the clear swing vote...and he pretty much acknowledges that this vote is going to blow up his game whatever he does.

Dang, put her on blast

At tribal council, Ali talks about certain people not stepping out of the challenge when they should've, which Chrissy sees as a very clear attack on her. Roark piles on too, slamming Chrissy for waiting until today to talk to her. JP says he's nervous that the gender divide could decide the vote, and Chrissy agrees that it's not necessarily going to be along original tribal lines.

At the reveal of the votes, Roark is blindsided, with Ali out of the loop too. Did Ryan make the right decision? Tough one. This could've been their only chance to get a Healer out before the merge, but by leaving in a strong pair, is he really willing to turn on Ali already? He's got a lot of work to do if he wants to get all his ducks in a row.

STAR OF THE WEEK: CHRISSY HOFBECK

She turned the tables on Roark and got her sent home, prying Ryan from his Hustler homie and standing up for herself at tribal. Chrissy is in a good spot to make the merge now and will have a lot of allies still around.

Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers Episode 4: Hotheads

We dive right in to a tribe swap with no time to waste, as Jeff is quick to tell them to drop their buffs. A bit earlier than usual this season, but hey, gotta keep them on their toes. Alan and Ashley stay blue and welcome Joe, Desi and Devon over to form the new Levu. Roark is the lone Healer to stay on Soko and is joined by Ryan, Chrissy, Ali and JP. On Yawa, we have Jessica, Cole, Mike, Lauren and Ben. Jessica is pumped she still has her showmance, but Ben is pretty scared to be without Chrissy.

Dope with a rope

The new tribes are immediately tested with a reward challenge, where they must unbraid themselves from their ropes, then hook a sled of puzzle pieces for the two puzzle solvers to complete. Ben/Lauren/Cole find a good rhythm for Yawa. JP/Roark/Ryan are in 2nd place, with Ashley/Alan/Joe in last. Ben hooks the sled first, followed by JP, to set up a puzzle showdown between Jessica and Mike against Ali and Chrissy. Alan struggles with the hook. Jessica bickers with Mike a lot, but it's a winning formula and they end up taking the food.

Someone's got a guardian angel

Yawa enjoy their meal, and Jessica finds an advantage in her chip bag. She waits until she can get alone with it, and sees that it's a vote blocker...but once again, it can only be used at the next tribal and must be passed on if necessary. Jessica lets Mike and Cole in on the news, and Cole takes it upon himself to start using this secret to build trust with the others. Uh okay, but isn't that gonna damage Jessica's trust? He tells Ben and Lauren, but Lauren is rightfully skeptical of his motives.

Roark introduces Soko to their new home, and Ryan is very happy to have ended up with Chrissy. He manages to get Chrissy alone and tells her that he was the one who gave her the idol. Chrissy smiles and thanks him, now seeing Ryan as another person she can work with.

Chrissy feelin' the love!

Ashley is not happy to have Alan still on her tribe, but the two of them do agree to put the past behind them since they're better off sticking together. Both the Healers and the Heroes see Devon as the swing vote, and Joe approaches him and decides to throw out a lie that Alan and Ashley wanted to vote him out.

Lauren is hoping to turn Mike against Jessica and Cole so decides to tell him what Cole revealed to her. Mike instantly knows it must've been Cole who blabbed, so decides to get to the bottom of this by asking the couple. Jessica is pissed when Cole admits what he did, but doesn't want to let on how hurt she is.

The immunity challenge is to move a heavy crate of puzzle pieces through a table and then a net. Then unlock the remaining puzzle pieces and stack them so the colors match up. Levu are first out of the obstacle, but Yawa overtake them on the net and Ashley gets her hand trapped. Lauren and Chrissy unlock their tribe's pieces but Ashley has trouble and it ends up being literally the last key she tries. All on the puzzle now, but Levu aren't much better there. Yawa get it first, Soko get it second, and Levu have lost.

Callin' it like he sees it

Ashley curses her bad luck on the locks, as the others tell her not to worry about it. Devon decides to verify with Ashley whether there was any truth to her targeting him. When she confirms that it's bullshit, Devon is now locked in on the snake Joe. Desi lets Joe know she saw Devon and Ashley together, so Joe now had a plan to draw the votes onto him so he can play the idol. Right in front of the group, he awkwardly tries to start a discussion of who to vote out, saying he's voting Ashley as she's the weakest. Alan argues back and tells him he blew up his spot.

Joe tells Desi that his blow-up was all part of the plan and that he has the idol, but she still doesn't feel safe and now wants him to give the idol to her. He's not opposed to that if it's the right move. The other three seem pretty solid, but Ashley still feels in danger if they have an idol. Devon meanwhile checks his bag and is excited to see he has a secret advantage. Hmm, interesting choice by Jessica.

At tribal council, Ashley says that she's never been considered the weakest before in any aspect of her life. Alan says his vote is between Joe and Desi, and Jeff makes the analogy that it's like taking out the bad guy's wife. Joe blames Alan for the divide, and makes a play for the swing vote by saying the Heroes have no cracks (ha!). Alan fires back by pointing out all 6 Healers are still in the game.

Devon gets a nasty surprise

Devon pulls out his advantage right before the vote and learns that it is NOT in fact an advantage, and his vote is being blocked. The votes are cast and Joe reveals his idol. But now he has a dilemma on who to play it for. He keeps it for himself, which pays off when he sees two votes for him canceled. Which Hero is going home? Alan, which shocks Ashley most of all. This is not how I expected the Alan/Ashley rivalry to end. Joe tells Ashley he read her face and that's how he knew.

Well damn, I was skeptical of the early swap but it's really jolted this season to life. Now Levu have a 2-2 deadlock and I have no idea who's going home next.

STAR OF THE WEEK: JOE MENA

Stirred the pot and played his idol correctly to save both him and his ally. Joe's aggressive game is entertaining to watch and he seems to just be having so much fun in the game. What schemes can he hatch next?

Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers Episode 3: Red Alert

Ryan tries on some of the clothes Simone left behind, including her knee-high boots. He talks with Patrick and they agree Ali is their favorite female (ugh) on the tribe. Lauren is still upset with Patrick for his dumb remarks at tribal council though.

"That's a good size, JP" *snicker*

Alan struggles to open a coconut in the Heroes camp. Ashley lusts over JP being a fisherman, but she's trying to distance herself from him after Alan's call-out. Still, when Ben discusses their next move with Ashley, she does push for him to stay, which Ben takes note of.

Jessica and Cole are fishing and flirting, when Cole decides to let her know about Joe's idol. Patrick is looking for an idol on his tribe, and it's so blatant that Ali has to pull him aside to tell him to stop. Back on Healers, Joe is rejecting the badly-cooked food. Cole starts thinking about blindsiding Joe, since he thinks it's definitely gonna be Mike. He lets Roark and Desi in on it, and also tells Roark about the idol, which Jessica is not happy about.

Aah, young love

Race to the top

The immunity challenge is to climb up over a net, then knock blocks off with sandbags and stacking them in a tower. The Heroes get their tribe members over very effectively, whilst the Healers and Hustlers are stuck lifting Roark and Devon. It's Cole, Patrick and Ben on the throwing. Cole does very well and gets Joe to finish the last few. JP then closes it out for the heroes, as Patrick ends up taking the longest. The Healers think they have a first place after building their tower, but find out they're missing a block. That allows the Heroes to take the win from them, but they're able to go back quick enough to get second. Hustlers lose again.

Lauren's a hustler for a reason

Patrick apologizes for letting the team down, as he senses that Lauren is mad at him. Even though he plans for Lauren to go, he still goes into the water to talk to her...but it gets pretty tense as Lauren obviously knows where his vote is going. For Ryan and Devon, it's not so clear cut. Ryan wants to keep Patrick, but Devon seems less keen.

At tribal council, Lauren unambiguously blames Patrick for the loss, and he admits that he should've been more of a team player. Ali defends him a bit, but Lauren goes in again and calls him a "good idol hunter". Ryan expresses the need to make bonds with the other tribes since they're gonna be down in numbers, and Patrick thinks he can do that. He acknowledges the criticisms that have been thrown at him and says he's hopeful he can improve.

Wipe the smirk off your face

Patrick is smiling as the votes come out, thinking he's safe. But his expression soon changes when he realizes it's actually him. He calls his tribe "awful" as he walks out, salty that they lied to him. Wow, props to Lauren for surviving that. Not sure if that was the right decision, but I get that he's not the most reliable ally. Will the Hustlers be more stable now? Guess we'll see.

STAR OF THE WEEK: JESSICA JOHNSTON

This episode showed Jessica might have some longevity outside of her showmance after all, with her gaining a lot of information and clearly showing herself to be the brains of the duo. Plus she's super cute too, so there's several reasons to want to see more of her.

Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers Episode 2: Funeral For A Hustler

Chrissy is glad that the Heroes have so many cracks, and justifies her non-idol use by saying that now she has a very convincing fake. Alan is actually happy that he's made Ashley/JP into targets, indicating there might be a method to his madness after all.

Get rid of the evidence

Checking in with the Hustlers, there seems to be one person clearly not fitting in, and that's Simone, who Ryan describes as "weird". Ali however sees Simone as someone that will be loyal to her. On the Healers, Jessica and Cole catch some fish and flirt. Joe and Mike's relationship seems to have improved, but Joe is still throwing him under the bus over his idol searching. On a hunt of his own, Joe finds a clue and asks Cole for help in deciphering it. It turns out to not be about the raft like he thought, and actually means "5 feet from the well". Joe is able to find it and dig it up. But now that Cole knows his secret, he has to be very careful with how he handles it.

Chrissy's perfect match

JP is catching fish and hoping to mitigate the target on his back. Chrissy talks about having lots of options, and cycles through her tribemates for which one she wants to team up with. After writing off JP (too dumb), Ashley (not trustworthy) and Alan (too crazy), she eventually settles on Ben. The two of them agree to work together but also keep their connection on the downlow.

We get a funny moment now where Patrick gets scared of a crab. But Patrick's constant attention seeking is annoying the rest of his tribe, particularly Lauren. Even Ali, who had an early connection with Patrick, is now thinking of cutting him loose.

The banshee makes people crabby

Good sense of direction

The immunity challenge is to move puzzle pieces out of an underwater cage, then use them to set up a signpost. Devon does the diving for the Hustlers, JP does it for the Heroes, and the Healers send a few different people, a strategy that leaves them last. Constructing the signposts evens it up, and once again Mike and Desi do their thing to take a win! Between the Heroes and the Hustlers now, and it could be anyone's game. Simone appears to struggle and is told to step back and let Ali take the lead. The Heroes win, and Devon rants about how Simone is dead weight.

Class clown

Simone has to do work to save herself so decides to exploit the rift between Lauren and Patrick. Patrick thinks he has the boys and Ali on board for Simone and that it's a done deal. Ali tells Ryan that Simone's plan is Patrick and he reacts negatively, thinking they would lose every single challenge if they did that. But Ali makes the point that Simone is easy to control, whereas Patrick is a loose cannon...so maybe it's not such a crazy idea.

Jeff asks Ryan how he feels about being at tribal and he compares it to a birthday party for a kid he doesn't like. Lauren says it's more like a funeral. Patrick talks about wanting a strong tribe, but Simone would rather build a solid group she can trust. When Patrick talks about trust, he says he can trust "most people" here. A not very reassuring answer that makes the rest of his tribe visibly nervous.

The votes are read, and they decide to stick with the simple plan and get Simone out. Which sucks, as I thought she had a lot of potential. Seems they felt they needed Patrick's strength...but just how long can they put up with him?

STAR OF THE WEEK: ALI ELLIOTT

Ali is the social butterfly of the Hustlers, who seems to have good relationships with everyone and a smart strategic mind for considering every option. When that tribe starts to erupt, my bet's on Ali coming out clean.

Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers Episode 1: Turtle Power

We're back in Fiji with a boat of brand new castaways, where Jeff has divided people up based on how the world sees them. To demonstrate the Heroes, he obviously turns to Ben the marine. For the Healers, he goes to Cole, but following his unnecessarily long answer, he switches to Dr Mike, who is already making dick jokes. On the Hustlers, Ryan is just hoping the rest of his tribe are more outdoorsy than he is.

They're heading to a different beach

Jeff gives them their first challenge, which is to load supplies onto their boat. Then they have to get to the beach and lift a tribemate high enough to light a torch and get fire. There's also a secret advantage, which Ryan finds, as one of the last to jump off. The tribes get in their boats and the Hustlers are paddling the wrong way. Healers get to the torch first and Roark lights it up, giving them fire. Heroes are second to win themselves a flint and the Hustlers didn't even get out of the boat. Not a great start.

Just call me the showmance killer

Healers arrive to a giant bonfire and talk about how they're well-equipped to dominate. The Heroes start playing the game first, with Ashley and JP making an alliance and talking about bringing in Ben. Alan wants to work with the cowboy too, so they decide to make a four, but he's already seeing Ashley and JP as a power couple....so that group might not last long.

As the Hustlers put together their camp, Ali decides to check in with Patrick, who is eating insects and clowning around. Ryan opens up his advantage and learns he has a superidol that can be played after the votes are read and is only good for the first tribal council.

Protip: if you're trying to avoid Tony comparisons,
this is what NOT to do

Mike is looking for an idol of his own, and Joe has quickly cottoned on to this. Joe questions him about the rope he's carrying, and then tells him point-blank he thinks he has it. This doesn't really impress Mike, who fears he will now be a target. Meanwhile, Ryan shares with Devon that he has the idol, and that he'd be willing to play it on him if he needed it.

Alan continues his crusade against the power couple by accusing JP in the middle of the night of having an idol. Ashley leaps to his defence and JP even pulls down his pants, but Alan is just trying to stir things up. He mainly just succeeds in putting a target on his own back though, by making himself look like a paranoid loose cannon.

Who said Hali wasn't a game changer?

Chrissy takes a knee

For the first immunity challenge, the castaways have to race up a net, pull a cart to the top of the platform, ride it down and choose a ball maze. They'll then take their maze up another platform and complete it, with the first two winning immunity. The first part is pretty even, with the Heroes getting down first and choosing the labyrinth. Hustlers take the obstacle course and the Healers are left with the one track maze. Hustlers actually make up time getting back to the top, even with the odd choice of Ryan as one of their pullers. Devon and Ali are doing their maze, with Mike and Desi taking it on for the Healers and Chrissy and Ben doing it for the Heroes. Despite being stuck with the last choice, the Healers actually get their ball in first, mainly thanks to Roark's strategy. Healers win the challenge, but the battle for second place is close. Hustlers manage to get it, and Chrissy is left vomiting on the floor. Since Ryan is now safe, he has to pass the idol on to someone on the losing tribe.

Ben and Ashley still want to stick with the easy vote and get one of the moms out, but that's in jeopardy now with Alan acting crazy. Alan talks with Chrissy and Katrina, who are hoping to get him and Ben to vote with them. Their fortunes might just have turned further when Chrissy checks her bag and sees she has been bestowed a gift: the superidol.

At tribal council, Chrissy says she feels like an outsider. Alan and Ashley end up getting into an argument when Alan again calls her and JP out as a pair. Ben says he's hoping to keep the tribe strong and figure out the rest later. The vote ends up 5-1 for Katrina, but will Chrissy change that by using the idol? She does not, which seems a questionable call. Perhaps she has faith in Ben and Alan that she won't be the next target.

Well, that premiere really flew by and definitely could've done with the extra time. But with the Heroes battling against their own in-fighting and the Hustlers hardly a well-oiled machine, I'm excited to see how things progress from here.

STAR OF THE WEEK: RYAN ULRICH

More than just a witty confessional-giver, Ryan managed to find the very first advantage of the season and made good use of it, leveraging it to forge a strong early alliance. We'll see if he can build from that, but he's off to a good start.

Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers cast ranking

1. Ryan Ulrich - Bellhop
I really like Ryan's outlook on the game. He talks about not needing to take control too early and how the key is to be as average as possible. These are sentiments I completely agree with! His self-deprecating nature reminds me of David Wright, so hopefully he can avoid coming off as a weasel and have a real shot to win.

2. Ashley Nolan - Lifeguard
Ashley gives long, detailed answers in her bio that paint a very impressive picture. Athletic, likeable and driven...she's the full package. Probably the best spot to be in this season is a Hero that doesn't play like a hero. Ashley's quote about letting people sink is very reminiscent of Sarah's "I'm playing like a criminal" mantra.

3. Roark Luskin - Social worker
Knowing that she's Corinne's friend, I was expecting some snark from Roark, but she has an endearing kookiness to her as well. She has one of the funnier bios too. I wasn't expecting to be high on her chances, but I walked away from her video pleasantly surprised.

4. Chrissy Hofbeck - Financial analyst
Despite being one of the older contestants, Chrissy seems like she's going to be a strong player. She's smart, confident and personable. Assuming she can hold her own in the challenges, I could see her integrating just fine.

5. Mike Zahalsky - Urologist
There's a lot to like about Mike. He's a superfan, he's funny (talking about his wife's obsession with Ethan and how he's happy that his kid looks like him was hilarious). However he is on the older side, not particularly athletic, and is probably gonna be awkward. As long as he gets in the numbers early, he should be fine.

6. Ben Driebergen - Marine
In addition to the many fine qualities you'd expect of a Marine/family man, Ben brings a goofiness to the table also. People will like him and want to work with him, and he's probably gonna be good in challenges. The only reason I don't have him higher is because he's too obvious a threat to win.

7. Cole Medders - Wilderness guide
I feel similarly about Cole as I do about Ben. He's a wilderness guide, so obviously he's extremely equipped for the survival side of the show. But that, along with his good looks and physique, is going to make him a huge target in the late game.

8. Alan Ball - NFL player
I was gonna write off Alan as a clueless recruit based on his bio, but when you watch his video, there's definitely a laid-back vibe to him that will keep him around. That is as long as he stays that way...he claims hunger is his biggest enemy.

9. Desi Williams - Physical therapist
Desi is attractive, competitive, intelligent and willing to use all of that to win. She's very well-spoken and I think she definitely has the skills to do well, my only reservation about her is that she might come on too strong.

10. Jessica Johnston - Nurse practitioner
She's blonde, she's bubbly and she's super sweet. Jessica is non-threatening enough to go far without a target on her back, but we'll see if she has the wherewithal to be able to step up and take it over the line.

11. Ali Elliott - Celebrity assistant
Typical L.A. girl who enjoys shopping and taking selfies, it'll be interesting to see if Ali can handle the jungle. She's still a pretty big question mark for me, so I'll reserve judgment for now. Maybe she'll be a dark horse or maybe she'll underwhelm.

12. Joe Mena - Probation officer
Not only does Joe look like Tony, he's planning to emulate his playing style, talking about how he's hoping to use his manipulation skills in the game. But for someone who admitted he only just learned to swim, he seems awfully confident about it, so you have to wonder if his confidence is unfounded in other areas too.

13. Simone Nguyen - Diversity advocate
Simone seems intent on being a villain both in her gameplay, where she mentions pitting people against eachother, and in her attitude, where she talks about being confrontational. Her feistiness will probably make for fun TV, but it's not usually a recipe for success in the game.

14. JP Hilsabeck - Firefighter
This guy will definitely feel at home on the Heroes tribe, but the fact he's talking about "good moral character" makes me think he's not cut out for all the backstabbing. He might be dragged along as a number for a while, but bless his heart, he's probably just too nice to play this game.

15. Patrick Bolton - Mover
Patrick talks a lot about his work ethic and how he hopes he doesn't get sunburnt, but I didn't get much insight into his strategy other than generic stuff like "trust no-one". Is that all there is to him? Gone after the merge first time he loses a challenge, most likely.

16. Devon Pinto - Surf instructor
Devon is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a surf instructor. He talks very slowly and doesn't have a lot to say. He seems to think winning challenges is all that matters. He says he's going to let people think he's dumb - that shouldn't be too hard.

17. Katrina Radke - Olympic swimmer
The best word to describe Katrina is intense...from how she looks to how she talks. She didn't come off as annoying, but she still might be too much for some people. The title of Olympian is very impressive, but I don't know if it'll save her when she's the oldest person on her tribe.

18. Lauren Rimmer - Fisherman
My expectations for Lauren were low and she didn't really prove me wrong. She describes herself as "hard-headed"...that was the first red flag. I don't think she has much knowledge of the game or experience with people outside her small town. Maybe a fishing job gives her some physical strength, but she doesn't look very in shape.