Checking Out the Survivor Gabon Castaways: Part 2

Carrying on with what I started yesterday, I continue to explore the castaways we'll be seeing this Thursday when Survivor Gabon premieres. When you compare and contrast the casting between Big Brother and Survivor, you generally find folks with more stable careers on Survivor. I think that might have something to do with the time away from the job needed. Survivor is just over a month while BB is around three months. Oh sure, you still get the bartenders and the Hollywood wannabes represented on Survivor; that's the nature of the reality TV beast. Part 1 of my look at the Survivor Gabon cast can be found right here.


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Randy Bailey, age 49, Eagle Rock, Missouri
I don't know. I think I'm getting sappy as I age. He's 49, thus I want him to do well. Yeah, I know that's not a great reason, but there you go. He does seem capable enough on the mental level. But on a physical level for challenges, I'm not so sure. He's a wedding videographer, not generally an all too physically demanding job. In a bio segment elsewhere, he describes himself as a bully and a train wreck. Uh-oh. I'm not liking him so much now. But he does do marathons and such. He might have what it takes to make it to the end if he doesn't brush too many folks the wrong way.


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Paloma Soto-Castillo, age 24, Downey, California
Close your eyes as she talks and notice the Keesha-esque quality to her voice! Like, wow, like she should be blond. But this girl seems to have much loftier goals than Hooters. If she wins, she wants to build a school in Kenya for students with whom she previously worked. Yes, she works part-time as a waitress, but she is still a full-time college student with a B.A. already in pocket. She has experience living in Africa and I think she'll do very well in that aspect. If she can be cut-throat enough and think ahead, I think she could be a strong player.


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Michelle Chase, age 24, Los Angeles, California
Ohhh ... I like her and I don't. What I don't like is that she's very smug and arrogant. But that can play well in the game. She seems to have adopted the strategy of Dan the Man in BB -- she's very strong and plans to come off as weak as long as she can to stay in the game. She's spunky, has lots of personal survival skills, has been on her own since the age of 16, married and divorced by 19. Plus, she boxes and is into triathlons. She's going to be one to watch, methinks.


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Matty Whitmore, age 29, Pacific Palisades, California
Okay, I'm glad he's so proud of being self-sufficient and on his own at the age of 29. I guess it's a generational thing, but I was proud of the same things at the age of 17. Well, no dog, but I had a cat! It will be interesting to see if there is a showmance or a snake in his days in Africa. Heh. I'm tossing around with whether he'll do well or not. For some reason, I'm thinking not. But I can't tell you why. Maybe it's the young male physically fit bit. I'm thinking he might be an early target. I could be wrong, though.


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Marcus Lehman, age 28, Atlanta, Georgia
Is there a doctor in the tribe? Medic! Medic! Yep, we have an actual doctor in the cast and not too bad on the eyes either. In 2006, he was named Georgia's Hottest Bachelor by Cosmopolitan magazine. He went to Harvard. I liked him in his interview. I think I'm gah-gah goo-goo over this one. How well will he do? Well, he has both the mind and the physique to go far. I only worry about that target thing. I wouldn't mind watching him for most or all of the season. Yeah, I'm being shallow.


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Kelly Czarnecki, age 22, Buffalo Grove, Illinois
We're talking a self-proclaimed "denim expert" who, unless I'm hearing wrong, likes to "snooze" her customers to make them buy more. Um, that would be "schmooze." While I think she's probably got some good things going for her, I'm not all that sure she'll do too well. For some reason, I can see her coming on with MY doctor.

Stay tuned for part three. What can I say? It's a big cast.