For an all winners cast, this is almost identical to what I would have wanted. This cast is phenomenal. There are people that I never would have expected to return and so many people I love that did return. My one hope is that CBS realizes how much gold they have here, and they should just let them play. Fans don't want an overabundance of idols, twists, swaps, and advantages (in other words: don't be Game Changers). My thoughts on the cast and their potential:
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Amber: I never would have expected that Amber would ever return. I think she's also the biggest question mark due to the long stretch between appearances. I don't think she'll be an early target unless she is on the same tribe with Rob either at the beginning or due to a swap.
Danni: Whenever the topic of all-winners comes up, Danni is almost everyone's pick and rightly so. She's very unassuming, and she's from a season that not many remember. At the same time, she was able to break into a pretty tight alliance in order to save herself from a Pagonging, so she's a stealth threat.
Denise: Denise has the distinction of being the only winner to attend every tribal council. She was able to downplay herself after the swap when she was an obvious person to eliminate. She was also able to form a strong alliance in the chaos that was the Philippines merge, so she might be able to ride out the chaos of this season.
Kim: I agree with people that say that Kim played the best game of all time. The problem is that many people think that many people have that view. Her biggest benefit is that she can hide behind some of the larger personalities in this cast.
Michele: If Michele gets far, then she's a serious contender. She's surprisingly good at challenges and has an impeccable social game.
Natalie: I'll stick my neck out and say that Natalie is my winner pick. I think that she'll be underestimated and won't be seen as an early threat. She played recently enough but not too soon to suffer from recency bias. She's extremely loyal to the people that she works with yet is not impulsive and knew the right moment to strike in order to win the appeal of a jury.
Parvati: Parvati's game has grown the most of the 20 winners across all of her appearances and her threat level grows the more she advances in this game. She has also socially manipulated so many players. Her biggest obstacle is that she is a very visible threat.
Sandra: In her second win, Sandra was able to hide behind few people remembering how she won the first time. GC showed that she no longer has that, but I hope that she can learn from that season. Arguable her biggest mistake on GC was gunning for the threats, so if she can create a threats alliance, she might have a chance.
Sarah: In GC, Sarah banked heavily on her previous perception in order to play more duplicitous. This time, she doesn't have that cover.
Sophie: Sophie benefits from playing an under-the-radar game in her first outing. If she’s voted out early, it’s because people might not know what to expect from her. At the same time, she was a loyal ally and a calming force to prevent unnecessary moves.
Adam: The main flaw people point to in Adam’s game was his overplaying during the merge of MvGX. If he doesn’t fall into that trap, I think he could do well as I don’t see him as an initial target.
Ben: I don't have high hopes for Ben. It doesn't help that Rick was compared so much to Ben in the last few weeks of EoE, and players will be fearful of those that can easily find idols.
Ethan: I do like that there is a representative from one of the really early seasons. For an old school player, Ethan has kept up with modern Survivor. He showed an ability to adapt and played a better game in All Stars and was able to hold off his elimination for quite some time but was just on a tribe that lost almost every immunity challenge.
Jeremy: One thing Jeremy was able to do effectively in SC was surrounding himself with threats to deflect attention off of him. This is a strategy I think he could pull off again.
Nick: I'm afraid Nick will suffer from recency bias. He's from a well-regarded season and is remembered well, so he can't play the same game twice.
Rob: Rob is going to be a big target, but he also has been on the most seasons and has established relationships with a lot of these winners.
Tony: Tony's win was a once in a lifetime occurrence that I doubt can be repeated. His best chance at going far is learning from GC by tuning down his antics and working with threats.
Tyson: Tyson played a pretty dominant game in BvW, but I think he'll be able to downplay that. He's also built relationships with many of these people to his benefit.
Wendell: A lot of the discourse after GI was about how Dom was the better player and Wendell benefited from a tie and his relationship with Laurel. At the same time, Wendell is more than capable at forming necessary social bonds and should be able to work with some of these winners.
Yul: Yul is someone I always wanted to see how he would do a second time but always thought that he wouldn't return. So, I love that he's back. He does have the benefit of time in that people might not fully remember all of his moves. While people focus on him having an overpowered idol, he is arguably one of the biggest strategists the show has seen and was able to manipulate the right people at the right time.
