Meet the Cast of Survivor Samoa, Part 2

As promised, here's part two of my Survivor Samoa castaways quick takes. If you missed the first ten, you can catch up here or by using the Survivor tag for the blog. Without further ado ...


Laura: A wife of 21 years and a grandmother. Ah, so she's my age! Er ... 39? Laura is Hawaiian. I assume that's why there's a flower in her hair. She's not going to San Francisco, she's going to Samoa. She's a conservative Christian. With the exception of Vecepia, I can't think of a conservative Christian I've really enjoyed on the show. We'll see.


Marisa: Here's your country girl next door, raised on a farm with eight siblings. You know, of the women I've written about, she might do best at surviving the actual elements. She isn't all about the farm -- she's spent time abroad. I'm not getting much other than the girl has spunk from her bio. I'll have to see if she can get along with the people game part of the show.


Mick: The moment I saw the name "Mick," I figured there would be a Mike. I bet Mick is a Mike. No one is Mick unless they're Jagger or a mouse. How come my doctors never look like him? I think I might just like the guy -- someone who says they'll buy a vacuum cleaner and pay off their student loans sounds much better than sob stories or silver platters to me.


Mike: And here's our Mike. My caption cuts it off, but he's got this long braided thing going on with that goatee. He lost thirty pounds to go on the show, but I'm wondering how he'll do out in the elements. It sounds to me like the only thing on his side for the win is that he's a huge fan of the show who has watched every year. I get the feeling I'll like him but he'll be picked off early. I hope I'm wrong about the early part.


Monica: She's going to miss partying, clubbing, and lunches with her friends. If she wins, her first purchase will be a designer purse. Now, don't get me wrong -- I respect her academic achievements. But I don't think I'll like her. They mention Parvati in her bio. I didn't like her. Prove me wrong, Monica.


Natalie: Uh-oh. That name is a bit tainted for me due to the Natalie on BB11. Ill try to get over that ... sort of like a bad dream. This Natalie is touted as a Southern Belle, a term which could never be apropos for BB11 bad dream girl. She sounds like she might be determined and scrappy enough to do well.


Russell H: This is the Evil Russell from the promos. I think that's going to automatically label the other Russell as the Good Russell and give him a larger fan base. I don't like this man. He's a wealthy man, yet refused to replace a missing tooth. I don't know, I wouldn't be surprised if he shot a man in Reno just to see him die. He's mean, he's a bully. I hope he gets the boot quickly, but I fear he won't.


Russell S: Ah, the Good Russell. Son of a steelworker in Pittsburgh, he's made something of himself. He's been poor, he seems to have ideals and morals. I don't know if he living off the land while shivering experience, but he might do well. He has a sense of humor -- he said he'd cut off his dreads if he wins.


Shannon: Here we might have our Mad Dog ... a younger version and an ex-Marines sergeant, not a cop. Mullet and all, I think we're going to have a character on her hands. Unlike the last female castaway with a mullet, I get the tough cookie vibes from Shannon.


Yasmin: Sassy Yassy, eh? Not sure if traditional sass might be the best strategy for a win. She says she has a know-it-all attitude which may rub people the wrong way, but she doesn't care. I say she must not care about the million if she doesn't expect to rein in her attitude. The future will tell.