RHAP: We Know Survivor - Mike Bloom and Dalton Ross On Island Survivor 50 Preseason Draft

Episode Date: February 13, 2026

Mike Bloom and Dalton Ross On Island Survivor 50 Preseason Draft Today, we go back in time to before Survivor 50 began. Mike Bloom and Dalton Ross sit down in Fiji to do an on-island pre-season draft of the 24 returning players for Survivor 50! To pre-order Rob’s book, The Tribe and I Have Spoken, visit www.robhasabook.com Never miss a minute of RHAP’s extensive Survivor coverage! LISTEN: Subscribe to the Survivor podcast feed WATCH:  Watch and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube SUPPORT:  Become a RHAP Patron for bonus content, access to Facebook and Discord groups plus more great perks!

Hey, everybody, what's going on? Rob Cisternino back. And we are ready for, this is a fun podcast that we have for you here today because two titans of Survivor journalism got together in Fiji once upon a time. Way back when in June, I guess, of 2025, Dalton Ross, the legend from Entertainment Weekly and our own Mike Bloom, also of Parade.com, got together. for a draft that was recorded on location after day one of Survivor 50. These guys went to Fiji. They interviewed all of the players. They watched whatever opening they did for Survivor 50. And then they went back to their hotel room and they decided to do this draft, which you are about to hear from on location.

It's been in the vault since then. Of course, be sure to check out all of. the Mike Bloom's coverage here on RJP and at Parade.com. And of course, all of Dalton Ross's amazing coverage on eW.com. And now let's go out to Fiji to listen to Mike Bloom and Dalton Ross draft Survivor 50. Hello, everybody. Welcome to a very special edition from Rob as a podcast. Fiji edition.

My name is Mike Bloom. I am located right now currently in my hotel room in the Mamunuka Islands in Fiji for, I want to say a first for RCHAP, certainly not a first for this gentleman that I'm talking to, but of course, Survivor 50, very special occasion, very special cast. And so we figured right now, we have the information fresh in our heads

from getting the opportunity to come out and watch everything go down in the first few days. We are going to be doing a draft. We know the cast, we've talked with the cast, we know the tribes, and we are going to draft for a winner. I've been saying we, Alon, that's because I'm joined by a very special person

who, if my memory, Memory serves has not been on RHAP in quite some time. So welcome back, but he is a cornerstone of survivor coverage. I certainly would not be here without him in so many ways. It is Entertainment Weekly's very own Dalton Ross. I don't know how my wife feels about me being in your hotel room. I know, exactly. We might have to strike that from the record.

You see, what you learn is that when you are married to a podcaster, you record any sort of alibi, you know? So that that way it's like, okay, there's a recorded instance where I knew where you were at this exact point in time. Also helps if you're tried for any major crimes. Yeah, that's true. That's true. We have a document of it. It's, I will say, you mentioned it's not been on, uh, um, Rob is the podcast a while. It's actually super embarrassing because the last few times I was on, I invited myself, which is like really humiliating, but if I'm being honest, like, it was been when I'd be doing one of those big oral histories or something. So I'd text Rob, like, hey, I've got the story. Like, if you want it was super, I'm sure it was super awkward for him. Like, oh, this guy's

kind of inviting himself on my show, like to talk about his story. But he was very gracious to do that. It was a blast talking to him. It's always a blast talking to you, whether on or off mic. Yeah. So what we are getting into right now is pretty simple.

You know, we're going to go pretty meat and potatoes. We're not too twisty, where we have 24 castaways in front of us. Dalton and I have had the opportunity to talk with all 24. We know the tribes, we are not going to reveal any other information.

Any analysis we do right now is specifically centered around us talking to them and what we know of like possible makeups within their tribes from said interviews. Now, I'd be remiss, Dalton, not to ask you even before we get into this cast, your opinions. I know that is quite a Pandora's box, but I mean, do you feel like your sense

as to the composition of this cast changed from getting the chance to sit down and talk with all of them as opposed to when we, you know, had Jeff pulled the names out of the urn a couple weeks prior at the time we're talking? Um, yeah. Yeah, no, it definitely did. And I know talking to you and other members of the press, because there's a lot of press here. There's a lot of us here. It's usually it's like Mike and myself and then people from CBS and that's it. But no, it definitely did. Listen, it seemed random. It seemed a little random. It seemed a little hodgepodge. It seemed almost a little Game Changers-esque maybe, dare I say. Which is so fun because Jeff had said in that CBS Mornings interview like, well, we've done game changers. We've done this. And it's like, game changers, I guess was a theme. I'll be it a catcher.

but this is truly the catch-all of all catch-alls. Yeah, it seemed a little random. And obviously, you know, by the time you guys are listening to this, like it's been well dissected, you know, the stats of recent players and eras that aren't represented really and all that stuff. So, but I felt great about my interviews. I really, really did.

I know you did as well. You and I always sort of like have a little, you know, confab afterwards to talk about it. Delta and I are pretty much put on opposite sides of the island. And then we'll have a little, like, you know, meeting afterwards, a little download to be like, what did you think versus what, I mean, it's a person's mood can really change in a walk across a tropical island. Totally.

Totally. It totally did. And, you know, it's always interesting. I've been out on location for every returning player season ever, except for Guatemala. I wasn't at Guatemala, but I've done everyone. And so, you know, I have experience in terms of knowing how these are different, these interviews. But what's nice about them is that, you know, They've got a story, a survivor story.

Yeah. Right. And I was actually really surprised the winners of war interviews I did, how so many of those people came in and felt like they were still somehow fighting for respect. People like Ben Dree Bergen and Michelle Fitzgerald, just to name a few. And obviously you have a lot of that because there's a few winners, but most people are not winners. So you have a lot of that. You have a lot of emotions.

I know you had a lot of emotions from players. I had a lot of emotions from players. Um, so I felt really great about my areas. I love talking to these people. And I hope it translates on screen. Because as you and I know, it doesn't always translate on screen how your interviews are. I've had interviewed cast. I adored the Redemption Island cast.

Adored that cast. I was so high on them. I mean, Francesco's like, this is my favorite interview I've ever done. Wow. And she stayed on this, on this, uh, well, no, you know what? Second favorite. Bob Dogg was my favorite. Oh, Bob Dogg was my favorite pregame interview ever.

But, um, anyway. So like in Ghost Island cast. I love when I took Ghost Island cast. I think I like Ghost Island season more than most people. But regardless, it's not like a top 10 season. Yeah. So you know one of Jeff's 25 favorite seasons according to Ghost Island was. Yeah.

I think whatever, we're getting sidetrack. But Ghost Island, I think I still love that theme so much. I don't think it was executed properly. But I love the idea of like bringing in old elements from the game and having to be part of the season. It's a way to celebrate the past without having to have returning players necessarily. Yeah, but I think that is actually a really great way to talk about this cast as well,

which is, I think on paper, there will be a lot of discussion. I promise we'll get into the draft soon, folks, don't worry, but I think, you know, while it's fresh in our minds, there is this idea that I think when you look at some of this cast, you look at some of these multi-time returns,

and you're like, okay, they just wanted to have Ozzie back again. They just wanted to have Surrey back again. There is an incredibly significant why for every single person here that, I mean, you can certainly speak to it, like, whether or not it's something that you encountered in a returning player season, like, the people who are, the series playing for a sixth time, a sixth survivor season.

Fifth. Oh, well, if you, if you count the international version. Oh, good point. She's a record setter. I mean, you look at people like Ozzy and Colby, like, Colby apparently was like one of the first people to, like, call casting to actually want to be on. And so I think getting to have them sort of tell their own story in that way was incredibly inspiring and moving to me.

And it inspires, I think, them to be able to make this an experience. Obviously, people want to chase the win. They all want that brass ring of being the winner of Survivor 50. But I think almost more importantly, they want Survivor 50 to be one for the record books.

I've, you know, obviously this is long history, old history by this point, but I've never seen players, former players, and fans more invested in a cast than this one. And even 40, more than 40, and even more than All-Stars. And you got to realize for younger listeners

and watch it later, like, when All-Stars happened, that was like a massive event when that happened because it was the first time people came back and you're like, oh, my God, Richard Hatch is going to be playing with Colby and Jenna and Ethan and Rupert, who was at that point the biggest, most popular survivor player of all time

at that point for better for worse. But yeah, so, but this, this cast highly anticipated. And so I think the people that made it are so excited to be here. And obviously, you know, there's the, the, it's really, you know, sad for the people that didn't make it. Of course. There's people that you and I would have liked to see here that are not here. Yeah.

But for the people that did make it super pumped. Like that, that has come through in every interview we did from what Mike and I have seen on the beaches so far. That has come through as well. Well, let's get into the activity on said beaches. So at the time, this is coming out, people will know these tribes. We've got our three divisions, which I think will inform a lot as well. You know, when I often get asked for a winner pick out here, I try to be a little fencing fencerton

and bring up like, all right, well, let me see how the tribe shake out because that often determines so much, especially because at this point, we don't know how long they're going to be in these tribes for. If they're in it for, you know, half the game, if they merge into 12 or 13 with 24 players, this is incredibly indicative. And so what we're going to do, super easy. we're going to be doing a snake draft, a snakes and rats draft,

if you will, for a winner of this season. And along the way, we'll give our assessments, we can talk about how that may or may not be helped or hurt by some of the stuff that people had said about us. I know that certainly with both you and I,

a good, a chief amount of our interviews were about, specifically how they felt about the other players. And I think between previous histories and current perceptions, it's going to be a very interesting group, as opposed to, you know, just picking a winner outright

from the list of 24. Am I being punked here? Is this whole, thing is this whole thing just to punk me for my terrible winner picks that I've had over the years because I've had it give me a rolydex here I mean well I know I had a point where I got three in a row and then I went like that was seasons 13 through 15 got got them all

and then I went like 20 like five seasons or something like that with like not getting any of them right it's been it's been pretty rough it's easier to hit the shot in the dark than it is to get the winner correctly of Survivor yeah I got Marianne and 42 and I got Tommy Sheehan in 39. But between 15 and 39, I got every single one wrong. It's really embarrassing. The reason I wanted to do this as well is because this was such,

this is such a part of my own survivor experience, you know, that you would sometimes occasionally do these sort of like press roundups. And again, we have a variable tribe of press, but I think, you know, it made the most sense given our own relationship and giving your experience level to talk with you about this right now. Yeah, let's give a shout out to the EW did some press roundtables. I think we did for 38 and 40 maybe. And shout out to some of like Wiggler was on those.

Mara Reinstein was on those. Gordon Holmes was on one of those. I'm sorry, I'm probably forgetting other people, but they were super fun to do something. I love the fact that we're doing this on location in the moment, and you're bringing it back. All right.

Well, let's bring it forward, shall we? Would you like, how do you do the honors as the guest, would you like the first pick or would you like the next two? Oh, yeah, because we're snaking. We're snaking, so. I will take the next two, and I will give you the first pick. And Mike and I've had some discussions, but I'm,

a little, you know, we also have those discussions before day two. So I have not seen if that has changed your opinion and let's see where you go. I will try to place my mind in the past at this point. Okay. I do not also want my opinions day two, just to keep the people in the dark here. Yep. Dare I do it? Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I'm going to do it because I have a top three right now. And I'm hoping I'll have my first and then one will come back around to me. So I'm going to try to be a little strategic here. Okay. And I cannot believe I am saying that's Dalton Ross. With my first pick, I am picking Benjamin Coach Wade. Yeah. And I was kind of given that to you.

I appreciate the original. I honestly like, so in our interviews before the game, it was really surprising, I think, to both of us. Yes. How many people want to work with coach? Like down the line. I go person my person, my interviews anyway, but I could not think of many people

who wanted to work against him. I think he walks this incredibly happy medium. And it's so wild given the fact that obviously given the reputation he had, especially in 18, like it's so interesting to have so many people so invigorated to work with him. But I think he really represents a lot

of what the spirit people want from this season, which is like, I want to have fun. I want to hear these coach stories. I want him to give me a nickname. And coach, for what it's worth, is coming in an incredibly mature. space. He is essentially a coach in name only. He coaches his daughter's soccer team, but that's basically it. He's a teacher now. He's a father. And again, when I talk about this invigorate

spirit, he's going to go out there and he's probably still going to do, you know, the same schick, but he has this spirit within him that, I don't know, you've talked with him more than I have that I certainly have never seen before where he essentially told me the first three seasons, I went out there. I knew I wasn't going to win. This time, Coach Wade's going to come out a winner. Yeah, he's got this interesting thing because he connects with players in this cast on a few different levels. One, there's the whole honor integrity people, right? You know, whether that's, you know, Joe or Colby, you know, people like that that are going to want to work with him who see themselves as playing the same kind of game. Then, like, you know, new era players love coach.

I mean, you know, Camilla, I'm sure she probably said this in your interview too, but in my 48 interview with Camilla, you know, she's sort of, three favorite players are coach and Philip and Q. Yep. And she loves coach and she was so excited that she's playing with coach. She wants to be the assistant coach. Yeah. Taking Tyson's role as assistant coach. And listen, they're on a tribe together.

Yeah. New Air, I mean, I remember Austin, who's not here in this cast, but he was a big coach fan. New Era players love coach. So he's got the old school, right? Yeah. And he's got the honor integrity. He's got the new school. So it's like, he's kind of firing all cylinders.

Now, my only thought became, could that come back where everyone's, going to realize how popular he is and then you got to get rid of the guy. But I think it's a great first pick. If I had had the first pick, I can't believe I'm saying it. I think I would pick him as well. Isn't this wild? Like this is just to show the caliber.

Universe are we in right now. Truly representation of 2025. All right. We'll go one pick at a time for yours. So give it, give us to your technically first pick of the first round. Okay. I'm going to give you both my picks.

Actually, it's Jerry and Carolyn. No. It's a sore spot. Listen, I'm, you know, I'm doing that because I'm giving them a shout out. I'm giving them a shout out. Would love to have Jerry and Carolyn out here. Wish they were out of here. And they got a lot of love from their fellow cast members as well.

Yeah, they did. They did. So shout out to you guys. You would be in my first two picks if you were here. But they're not. So I have to go in a different direction. So you took coach off the board. Savvy move on your part.

You probably knew I was going to grab him. He was on a polo, not Savai. Mike Bloom doing his work here. I am going to go Christian. And I know that's a Dane. It's a dangerous pick because I feel like he's not as much a part of that David versus Goliath trifecta. No. And it's,

and it's very interesting because he's been very much grouped in that. But he was incredibly adamant in both of our interviews that he is intending to slay the Goliaths, both of them in this season. And Angelina at least was pretty open and saying like, love Christian, but he's the third wheel. Yeah. Like he's the he's the third wheel in that thing. but I don't know maybe maybe I'm betting with my heart here man like I was...

I mean like listen there were incredible interviews Christian maybe the best one like between obviously the amount of content he gives I mean for me he literally ran through his entire casting system where he separated everyone into essentially four

groups of six based on where they cast for challenges drama confessional snark and actually being able to win the game so his like methodical aspects are just sky high. And then of course, Dalton, you and I both got the reveal out in the island in the moment. I'm sure people know at this point. How could they not know at this point?

But you and I did not know that Christian has left a six-week-old child at home for the time we're talking. It's crazy. And what's interesting is he told Mike and I different things in our interviews. He told Mike, correct me if I'm wrong, that he is, you know, he's got that in his pocket for tribal counsel using. He'll bust that out to final tribal pull of Jeremy Collins, this, that, what have you. he told me that he's not sure. He said like, maybe I'm going to do that. Maybe I'm going to not. We're going to see the context or this or that.

I don't want to feel like I'm being manipulative in doing it. So I don't know if he's playing us against each other. Like, I don't know if this is a strategic move or he's trying to do that. That's a good practice. Like play the press against each other before you play the players. Yeah. So we'll see. So he'll be my first pick.

Yeah. I really, I think Christians really set up. If I recall in talking with the various players, you know, there is obviously a lot talk about how brainy of a threat Christian is. He is probably the most intellectually presenting contestant in survivor history, and that is impossible shine to dull. But there have been so many people that basically told me, like, I need that. Yeah.

You know, I am not necessarily completely up to snuff in, you know, the brains department. And so Christian is somebody that I could have on my side. So I, to your point, almost what you espouse about, coach, I am worried about, is it going to be another David versus Goliath situation where like, great, he has his partners in crime, then we get to the merge and it's like Christians, everyone's enemy. But he just has such a great headspace for this game. He's also, I think, in this really unique position where obviously he's connected with the middle era.

The new era, he has been, I think, one of the most actively pre-40 cast members involved with all these people. He knows them. He talks them. He's on a tribe with Emily. And both of them have expressed to me that they wanted to work together just because of all the stuff they've done as well. And I think it's well, when you look at that tribe,

like, you know, if there's a potential disaster tribe, it probably is CELA, it's probably orange. We'd love you, you know, CELA, but you might be saying Cia very soon. And I think that Christian would be someone that they would also need to keep around as an asset. Yeah, he'd be. Yep, yep. He's a someone that you want to have if you have a puzzle coming up in a challenge

at the, you know, tribe stage of the game. So I feel like hopefully he's a little insulated there. I have a feeling that Christian and Rick, like you said, in that sort of 30s era are tight. I know that they are tight outside the game or at least tight enough that hopefully maybe that they're going to protect each other or not. We'll talk about that maybe a little bit more

whenever Rick shows up on this list. Well, let's talk about, is Rick showing up with your next pick? He is not showing up. Sorry, Devin. Sorry, dude. You're not. All right. I'm going to go again, maybe betting with my heart here a little bit, but that's all right.

I am maybe abnormally excited that Chrissy is back. Oh, she was going to be my next. Yeah. I really am like, you know, love Chrissy in so many different ways. And I love that she's back because Chrissy's headstrong. Like, Chrissy's going to like, she's a very direct talker and stuff. And that could get her in some trouble depending on like the personalities of the people that she's with. But I just think she's got a lot.

I think she's a very well-rounded player. She's very, very smart. She's athletic, as we know, from her, you know, challenge victories. Record tying. Yeah, exactly. So, and so as long as she can connect socially with these people, I think she's good. I hope, I don't think she's going to be seen as, like, the biggest threat. I think she's, again, in these 30s people that we're talking about, is pretty connected

with some of them. I think that a lot of these people, you know, saw what happened in Winters of War with the new era people all coming together. And even though 30s are recent, it's not new era, and there's a lot of new era people here, as we know. So hopefully she's again insulated herself, and I'm hoping she'll get a deep run. Yeah, I really think she's positioned incredibly well

because from what I've gleaned, she's kept up with a lot of the new era as well in terms of those relationships. And, you know, there is always going to be this idea that as we talk about these pre-existing relationships, there are these people that are sort of like these free agents, right? Chrissy is one of them. She's the only person from HHS.

who is coming back. That could be a disadvantage, obviously, if it's like someone's not going to back for her. I always think it's much more of an advantage. From what pit players have expressed to me, they were much more about, let me pick up those free agents. And like, all right, let's get rid of them

because they're not necessarily a threat. And Chrissy can be incredibly threatening. I mean, she's remembered for the immunity win. She's remembered for, you know, getting screwed by Final Four firemaking. But think about the fact that, like, in that latter stage of the post-merge, she had a group around her, of Ryan, of Devin,

of Ashley, of Lauren, of Dr. Mike that went after Ben that was unfortunately stymied by myriad idols and last minute twist. So if she is able to replicate that and what's also intriguing to me is, you know, in talking about her game, I think a lot of it was framed at the time as like, Chrissy's social game sucked, certainly from exit press.

The way she expressed it to me out here was more so that like she had learned some stuff about relationship management, but she had also felt it was a very special situation. So I don't know how much she feels she needs to change. She's also gone through an incredible, she went through a double mastectomy since her last season. Yeah.

I mean, I shouldn't have put her this high from moving away from me in Jersey. She was a Jersey girl. The dirty Jersey, Mike and I are from Jersey. But we understand and we love Chrissy and we'll see how she does that.

So that's my, so it's back to you, Bloom. It's back to you. Who's your round two pick? All right. Well, we got three C names. We've got coach, Christian, Chrissy.

How about another one? I'm going to go Charlie. You're doing Charlie. Wow. So here's the thing is that Charlie is somebody who I could see on paper people would be like he's probably regarded as one of the most recent like best players to never win

but there is something about Charlie's personality that is so I mean it's what made him a standout of a very standout season in 46 where he was essentially the Jim Halpert of the office where he has this very down to earth you know like dry not dry in a bad way but like kind of sarcastic personality that I think in a cast of characters really makes them kind of blend into the background in a good way.

I think that reputations, uh, and I'm so, was that intentional? I will say Charlie, we are so sorry. We could not. I know Dalton, Dalton and I were tagged multiple times before coming out here like, tell Charlie about reputation. We were not allowed to. So I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But I think that Charlie, there have been some people that say like, Charlie's a strategist, he's got to go. But I truly feel like, and I'll talk about this with a few people, once they actually get the opportunity to sit down and talk with him, I think that they'll be charmed by him,

and I think they'll be, that will lower his threat level. I wonder, Mike, because like you said, he was so, son of stealth last game he played that, I would just,

that would make me so nervous. Like you said, oh, he's so charming and, oh, he's lowering the threat level, but then I'd be so cognizant of that. I'd be so conscious

of the fact that he's doing that. You know, what really helps is that he's on tribe with someone who just did that game just before they came out here in Camilla. You know? Like, it's he's able to hide behind that.

I think that he has Tiffany on his tribe, which is a good connection of the two. Like Tiffany obviously didn't vote for him to win, but the two of them are close. I think him and Chrissy are going to be the new Charlie and Maria. Like he has very much sought her out as like he does want to work again with an older woman. Chrissy is right there.

She wants to work with Charlie. So I think he is well set up. I could see an instance to your point where it's just like, we can't let this guy get there again. Yeah. Yeah. I hear everything you're saying, great player, fabulous player.

I'm just like, to me, there's like a neon sign on him now that wasn't on in 46, saying great player, fabulous player. And I think that the more, the problem is his style of play is so stealth and so charming

that the second he starts, like, I would just always be nervous around him. Yeah. They'd like, oh my God, he seems so normal. He seems like he's almost not playing at all.

Yeah. But like I know he is. So he's got the skills. No question he's got the skills. but I know if I were on a tribe with him, he'd make me real nervous, yeah. All right, well, let's see if the turn will help you here. I'll finally take a non-C off the board,

and it's a J for Jenna. I'm going to take Jenna Lewis. Wow. Yeah, that's interesting because I think there are some, not all, some similarities between Jenna and Chrissy. I think, but I'm, Jenna's coming into this game hot. Yes, she is like, she is, and it's so interesting because I think a lot of people, again, she's been, she's been out of the scene. So people might not know or might not remember how much of a spitfire.

Yeah. Jenna Lewis was back in the day. And I guess the question is, is that just going to be confessional hot? Yeah. Or is that going to be like game hot? Like, is she going to be able to like, like, hide that what she's doing in the game and just like come in real hard in her interviews or what? I don't think it's a bad pick. No, I mean, I think that a lot of people, I think starting off she's going to be doing.

well. I think a lot of people want to work with her. I think there's a lot of reverence for her. And I think there's a lot of this idea of okay, well, she played in Borneo. She was a Pagong. She got out strategized. Like this is not necessarily someone who is a threat. I agree. I think it's a high variance pick because if and when they find out the fire that Jen is bringing she's going to immediately get targeted. Like she is someone who's coming in who said, fuck the dragon slayer. So, you know, if these people were on a, if my team was a tribe, you know, that'd be quite spicy. But, you know, saying that she's the winner killer and she wants to get rid of one person. She doesn't want to get over

one winner, but maybe not the other couple. But she, I think she comes in with just this, this verb and energy to her that I'm hoping can take her a fair way into the game. And let's also mention, like even from a physical perspective, like she is looking good.

Like she is, she is up to snuff, I think, which I think is a question certainly with, what can get into with some of these older players, some of these later days players, but I think Jenna could absolutely be up there if she has to go on her run at the end if need be.

Yeah, no, I see it. She looks like she's in great shape and it'll be interesting. I wouldn't have had her as high, but it's not like, first of all, 42 seasons. She's been away from this game. Obviously, the longest spread ever between appearances. 42 seasons. So the question also is the learning curve. The game is so much different now than it was.

And it's such a faster pace. And she, I think, could have done. after that. Like she's, you know, she's sharp, she's quick. But, um, will she? And then there's, you know, a little bit of a question. We'll see. All right. Back to you, Ross. All right. So, um, I'm going to go with another season 46er. It is not Q. It is not Q. The chaos agent. It is Tiffany. Um, I don't think she has a high threat level in the eyes of the other players. Right. I don't think that doesn't mean that she's not, but I think she's very capable threat. She is a threat. But,

judging on the interviews I did and spoke to people. And you said, oh, you know, who are you wary of, worry about? Her name was not coming up. Yes. We've seen those sort of stealth players in previous returning seasons. I mean, like, Lascena was not on anyone's radar and game changers. I mean, literally, I would say essentially, with the exception of Tony, because you go through, and it's wild to think in retrospect, but like obviously Amber and All-Stars.

Right. But even Harvardian Micronesia, Sandron Heroes versus Villains, far in away, not the biggest names or threats whatsoever going in. Absolutely. Absolutely, absolutely. So it holds it would be someone like a Tiffany who is not at least rightly or wrongly, not seen by the other players

as one of the big threats out there. And you just gave some great examples of people that after we're seeing as great, that's not the poor. I would completely agree. I think that Tiffany, I mean, Tiffany, I adore her. She is one of my favorite interviews that I always get to do.

And like, she was in a good spot, you know? She was sort of in this Christian model where everyone wanted to target her from the merge due to just chaos upon chaos, she got to the final eight and got voted out with an idol in her pocket. Clearly she has learned from that.

I mean, famous fat last word, she has finally promised me yet again that she will not tell anybody when she finds an idol. We will see if that changes. The only sticking point I had was that,

to your point, I think that this is usually a very good spot for a returning player. Many people in my interviews picked up on that. Yeah. A lot of people said, well, it's usually this type of person.

But I think that in these seasons, improper from what people were talking about in the preseason, she's been giving great vibes. I think that's a really good pick. And I think that there are people who will want to work with her that will vibe with her out on the island that, yeah, to your point, history could repeat itself. Yeah, I would love to see a Tiffany win. She's delightful. And I think that her tribe's going to like her. And she's a very well-rounded player. All right. Next up. I cannot believe I'm about to do this. I think I'm going to go with the man. The myth, the legend, the R-I-Z-G-O-D?

What? Now, keep in mind-mind. Risgod, baby. Keep in mind, we at this point of recording, we have not seen season 49. Yes, we, Dalton and I had spoken with Rousseau and Savannah at this point, probably a month and change prior to this. So I can, but I can tell you based on what we saw on the camps in 49 when we visited, is that, you know, again, you guys know him so much better than we know him at this point.

Literally at this point, all we know of him was. three days of survival 49. So keep in mind what I'm about to say is you all have seen 49 and this might be completely wrong. Exactly. But what we saw is, you know, he's got this character and I'm using quotes because he really considers him a character, the Riz God, right? And he'll like talk cocky and do this and that and his confessionals. But when we saw him in camp in 49 and I, he was very much blending in, very much fitting in, very low key. Everyone seemed to be digging him. and he had just won supplies for them and the Piper supplies. Right.

He wasn't like Tony and game changers. We literally jumped off the boat and started running for idols or doing like building spy shacks or doing that stuff. Very under control. I know that obviously the huge thing for him and Savannah is the unknown and that's scary. For other players, that's scary. I don't know what this guy did. I saw what Russell Hans did and he went back to back.

They're all like talking about that and thinking about that. That's the biggest thing against him. So that's why it's a surprise. I'm surprising myself that I picked him so early because that's a powerful deterrent for him going far. But I think he's going to mesh with these people.

And I think he's going to be able to keep his threat low key. Yeah. And we'll see. Is that a crazy pick? I don't think so. He was actually going to be probably in the top of my mind with my next one because I think about,

you know, a lot of people regarded to your point, the 49ers as like, you know, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. And I think that the thing about Rizzo, though, is that is sort of the archetype that he occupies, which is I sort of made it akin to Adam Klein and winners at war, which is sort of like this starry-eyed, young super-duper fan getting to play alongside these legends.

Listen, I love the people cast on Survivor. They are egocentric sons of bitches and daughters of bitches. And they, you know, I think that they would appreciate someone kind of being there, being like, what was it like when you got to do this to a certain extent? But I think that Rizzo himself obviously made an important. impression in his season. He was able to make somewhat of a dent. And I think that being able to benefit from that,

what he expressed to me, is really going to help. You know, I don't know if he was going to replicate the same game, but I imagine if he replicated a similar technique of like, I'm going to be underestimated. You know, I'm just, I'm just, you know, gawky, fun, 25-year-old Rizzo.

Don't worry about me. And then makes his way to the end. I guess the question is, I don't know if, I wonder if, I want to pitch and hold these possible jurors like they would vote for, you know, a 25-year-old kid to win Survivor 50. But if he impresses- That's a good point, Mike.

But if he impresses them enough. It's a good point. And I will say, I feel good about my pick. Yeah. But I just saw, we have the list in front of us of all the players. And I saw a name on there that I'm kind of regretting I didn't take. And I'm so worried you're going to take this person in one of your next two picks. I'm really worried because I feel really good about the player that I did not pick.

Oh, okay. So I'm between a couple. right now. Luckily I have a couple. I'm going to go with, let me just continue like team chaos here. Give me Emily Flippin. Bastard. You bastard. You mother effer.

That was the one. I started saying, whoa, I just missed Emily. I think she's a great pick. She's a great pick, yeah, thank you. So here's the thing. Again, people really want to work with Emily. Saris, who is on her tribe, called her a little porcelain doll that she just wants to fix her hair. People love Emily. They love her bluntness.

They love her growth arc. What is so intriguing? I don't know if you were surprised by this, Dalton, is Emily, part of the reason why she came back after avowing, never to do so, is because she actually didn't like the ending point of the growth art. She felt she had gone soft. I've always been, if you looked at my recaps for that season, and I told her this when I talked to her, like,

everyone talked about the great arc and, like, how, like, she, like, I said, I was an Emily. Emily 1.0 fan, not a 2.0 fan. I get it. If you want to win the game, you've got to be more 2.0 than 1.0. And I told him, like, Emily, you know, you're not on this season if there's not 1.0. Like, you know what I mean? So, like, how do you keep that spark, right?

That spark of 1.0 of day 1, Emily, with some of the better social game that she developed later. And if she can do that, and if she can still give us a little kutzpah, but, but, But at the same time, playing smarter and more deliberate than, you know, then I think she can get to the end. And like you said, I think people want to work with her. And I think she'll do well with puzzles. There's a lot of good puzzle players. I mean, listen, she has also, there is something.

And maybe we'll talk about this with another player who has been hardened by the fact that she went to so many tribal councils. Yeah. You know, I actually talked to her about that when she's like, oh, God, you know, like, well, you know, if we go to tribal council a bunch, I'm like, already done it. She's like, yeah, I have thought about that. You know, she has someone who. kind of got forged in fire to quote my number one draft pick about the fact that she had to vote early and vote often. And I think that's something that despite her being one of these, you know, 13 one-time players could, could help her. I do think that could be another situation.

I mean, I think the D situation is really interesting. You know, luckily they are separated, so they're not being regarded as a duo. But I think, I mean, Emily, Emily told me she kind of wants her revenge on D. She's not going to let her slip past her again. Yeah. God, I'm so mad at you right now. I don't even know if I can keep doing this. We might have to cut this short because I'm so angry.

Rachel played out for eight picks. I mean, I have no one to blame but myself. I had the pick. She was on the board and then I just, uh, you know, you know what? I was blinded by the Riz God. There we go. It was the man, the myth, the legend. How do you, how can you, you know, compare to that?

Jeez. All right. You got one more. This is going to be another wild card here. But I'm feeling, I just felt so great about her talking about her in the preseason. And it helps that, listen. We'll go from a Lulu to a Dululu queen. I'm taking Angelina.

Oh, my God. Can you imagine how amazing an Angelina victory would be? Because I'm trying to manifest it, you know? I mean, I think like, I mean, you know, just I cannot even express my level of excitement over herping back. When I was talking about, like, the people I was most excited to come back for the season. It was the David versus Goliath Trio. Yeah.

And Chrissy. Because, you know, there are 30 era people. Yeah. 30s that like, so it's been a minute. but they've also only been here once, right? And that's really exciting. And Angelina, she's just like going to make great TV each and every week. Now, can she win?

You know, can she, can she do it? Can she, you know, we know zero votes last time. Yep. That she made it to the end. Like, you know, she wasn't unlike someone like Charlie. She's not being regarded as like, oh my God, she got so close to winning. And especially because she's sitting, she's on a season with someone who got more jury votes than her. It's sort of like if she makes.

it to the end, like, how can you not give it to her in a way, in a weird way? Like, I mean, you know. And especially the drive that she's given, you know, since she left, she became a mother, what she said was like always a dream of hers. And she still has that lovable energy of just coming up with the most wack-a-doodle ideas. But I think she has that new drive in her. There's a few people, though, with very young children that I worry about. It's Angelina.

It's Christian and it's Aubrey. Yeah. I really worry about it. Survivor amplifies your emotions so much. It's like emotions on steroids. And I worry about them on, say, day eight of the game when they're at a low point. You know, I saw it in the pregame interviews while talking to these people. And I worry about all three of them with that because that's, that's tough.

It's a lot. So I hope that she'll be able to keep those. Anjali is a very emotional person. She'll be the first to tell you that. and I hope that she can keep that in control because I would love to see a deep run from her. I mean, I think she has that hunger. I think she feels like she,

the way she expresses it is like, yeah, I did these kind of crazy things, but like I had reasonings behind it. And I think again, that edit, much like I talked about with coach is really going to help her here because I think people remember the jacket

and the rice negotiation and they don't remember like, I think some of the ways that she felt she was able to do some things. So if she's able to sort of lock it again, and if not, we get another incredible, you know,

season of our DeLulu Queen, trying all these different tactics. She did say she has a new, she has a new strategy for the Rice negotiation. She should get to that point. Oh, she does? She said that initially

she was going to just sit it out in general, that she was like, I'm automatically sitting. But she teased to me, she did not, she did not go very far, but she said that she's got something up her sleeve,

her jacket sleeve, exactly. All right, to you, too, Dalton. All right. It's kind of crazy that I'm making this pick here because...

We've been saying that. I know. I know, that's all crazy. It really has been, like seriously, and I understand the picks that people have been making, but truly talking with these people turned a lot of my expectations, Topsy-turvy. I mean, this is bonkers because this really,

this person should be seen as the number one A-plus threat to win. And if this person is sitting at the end, this person is winning. No questions ask. Because every player, if it can't be them, and every fan watching at home, wants to see Surrey win Survivor. Everyone wants to see Surrey wins of Survivor.

So if she gets to the end, she's got to win. There's no way she's not going to win if she's the end, right? I mean, listen, Mike White said she was in his final three plans. You know, and here's what's interesting, Mike. You know, like, I remember being at Heroes versus Villains. And it was right, you know, Mike Renegia had just been very recent. And the two names on everyone's lips for first one out were Parvety and Surrey. Parvety made it all the way the end, which is crazy.

Still, that's the most impressive thing to me. Yeah. And why I thought she should have won the season. It's just because her threat level. I've never seen a threat level that high before a season before. Anyway, Surrey was the other name and she did not go far that season.

But look what she's done. Look at her overall tally of how far she's made it. Look what happened. Game Changers crazy being voted out with no votes. I don't know about you, but in my pregame interviews, her name did not come up a lot in terms of like who you most worried about. How can you not be worried about Surrey? But yet people, people were not.

You know, at least she was not at the top of the list. The thing is that there's going to be this sort of like beta complete where it's like, well, we'll work with her because we know the survivor gods will come up with some convoluted way to get rid of her no matter what. And here's the big problem that could be for her is that she's in a tribe, Cila, the Orange Tribe, which you mentioned earlier is probably the tribe that we would guess would be in some trouble. Yep. In the city's early challenges. And if they view her as a challenge weakness because challenges are not her strength,

then she could be in a lot of trouble. Right, that's the thing. We talk about game changers. Yeah, like game changers, she never got to vote against her. She never went to tribal council in the pre-merge. And I know, I'm sure people can correct me as to like,

what would have happened had she gone, you know, I think that her and Ozzie being on the same tribe is great. Both of them have expressed to me that like that Micronesia incident, water under the bridge, they want to work together. I think it really just depends on like, do they want to take the shot at her? Right.

You know, and is she able to. catch on to that. Right now I imagine that she would just kind of like put her head down, be super low key, let these bigger personalities kind of flame out and then in them, and I will say she looks good too. Like she's not, she's, she's, she's in fight and shape as well. It also helps that she's played an entire other survivor season very recently. It should be noted that again, as we say this, as we are talking, we have not seen 49. No. So we don't know how Savannah did in challenges in 49. But, you know, I know this tribe has

Joe and Ozzie, right? Yep. But that's kind of it in terms of quote unquote challenge beasts. Yeah. Right. So, you know, if they go first like, oh,

we got to get rid of like the weeks or we, she's bad in challenges. But like, you know, if you're some of these other people, maybe you're like, well,

maybe they view up me as a challenge, you know, a challenge weakness. Christian, obviously very good at puzzles. But as far as the strength issue, um,

that might protect her and then maybe one of the stronger people's in trouble. I don't know. All right. Oh, you're up now, right? How are you going to follow up Surrey?

Who's your next? Oh, I got one. See, I've already lost track. Oh, geez. I'm looking at the list. Don't want to miss any names again like I did last time with Emily Flip,

and I know that's going to come back to haunt me. I don't want to... Okay. Do I do it? Do it. I think I do it. Who doesn't want to be on the White Lotus, right? Who doesn't want a cameo on the White Lotus?

There we go. Who doesn't want to get there and be sitting at dinner at the other table or be sitting down on the beach as a dead body rolls up to shore, being a three-way with the hotel manager. Who doesn't want to have that in their future? And, you know, it's Mike White. You know, I just think, listen, he made it, he made it, granted, not as big a celebrity,

but he was a celebrity last time. You know, school of rock people, come on. Not to Libre. And he made it all the way to the end. And so who's to say he couldn't do it again? He's super likable. he's low key, he comes off low key when he's sitting around camp

and so yeah that'll be my next pick I just it's really funny I talked to another person a member of the press and I don't know if this was the same way with you

but you kind of ask like you know oh so who do you want to work with okay so who are you worried about right yeah Mike White's name unless I specifically asked about Mike White it never came up interesting unless it was like specifically

about why he was, or at least very rarely came up with my interviews. So that tells me that he's not seen as a huge threat off of that. And again, like, listen, all the people that voted for him to win Dave versus Goliath, he flew back to Fiji on some crazy vacation. Yeah. So, so I'll put Mike White there. Yeah, I think Mike is a really solid pick, especially at this round, because look, again, if we go to the meta, maybe there's a chance that if he gets to the end,

they're not going to be like, okay, we're going to vote for this guy to win. I think they might, I think they might look past Networth and be like, if this guy played an incredible game, like, let's crown him the winner of Survivor 50. I mean, we need to look at the fact that Mike was really freaking good at Dave versus Gliath. He really played that perfect, despite the fact that he's been on Amazing Race and Survivor, he did the perfect Big Brother strategy, Dalton, where it was that he really laid low. You know, he gets caught idle hunting in the first episode, I think, of DVG. And then he lays really low until about like the final eight, final seven. And then he's like, okay, big, bang, boom. And he just runs it to the end of.

of the game. And I think he knows that. And I think he knows that and he's expressed it to all of us that he essentially gave up in the end. The only worry I have is that will storyteller take over strategist? You know, would he be, I mean,

he told me, again, he would want to take Surrey and Ozzy to the end because how much of a fun ending? Yeah. Would that be? There's a chance that, again, those instincts might take over.

I think he's a great pick to go far. I hope that the ending involves him, you know, standing at the top of it. It could be the end, like the anti-Seree, like I was saying, if Surrey gets the end,

she wins. Mike White gets the end. He's got a lot of money. Right. So like he'd maybe like, you know, I don't know. So maybe that, maybe that hurts him a bit. But again, like you said, great writer, great storyteller, write your final tribal council. And he's fighting for this. I'm like you said, if you read my super deranged quarantine questionnaire that he did, he's like, he says exactly what you just said. He didn't fight for it at tribal council last time at final tribal. This time he says he will. So, so yeah, I'll put him right there. We're kind of in the middle, right? Is that we are now. Okay, so we're right in the middle as you go to pick 12. It's the golden moment. Triumph on the podium, golden hand. But with Corona Serro,

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You know, it's interesting, Mike. I have been close to picking him a few times because I think, but like to me, it's a little bit of like, well, it's a little like the Charlie thing, but even worse, even worse because he, he's the smiling assassin.

right? You know my take of him after our interviews in 48. I was telling people like, oh, this guy can't win. He's not going to get his hands dirty. He's too nice. He's too nice to play. He's too nice a player. He's going to help somebody finish the fight for supplies after he breaks a jug. And I had someone that was texting me after he pulled the lie on Joe and Eva.

And they're like, why would they believe him? I'm like, because he's super believable with that, with that smile and the way he tells you things and you just think he's such a nice guy. So anything, again, he would be telling me, even if it was genuine, I don't know if I'd be able to believe it. Yeah, so here's the thing about me with Kyle

is that, I mean, I look to another team member of mine, Jenna Lewis, and she called herself the Winter Killer, and she says she does not want to work with Dee. She's got to take her out. I talk about Kyle. Oh, I want to work with Kyle. Oh, Kyle's are my top four people I want to work with. I think, again, what I'm sort of banking out with these Charlie

with these Kyle people is that the reputations precede them, but when you come in and you talk with Kyle, Kyle is such like an amiable, down-to-earth individual. And look, we're at the point right now. We're finishing off the top half. I do not know if any of these people that were picking actually stand a fair chance of winning. Like, again, Kyle, I do not think they're going to make him a two-time winner. But I think that of the winners in this group, Kyle would be the one that would go the furthest.

Because I think once people get to know him, I think he's really well positioned on this tribe. You know, he's in really good. I think someone like Colby would want to work with him. Obviously, he has these new era connections with a cue, with a Rizzo, with a Genevieve. like he kind of goes along to get along. He'll keep saying he's the best average guy you're going to meet. I agree that on paper, it's like,

dude, you tried that before. You can't do it again. I think he'll be able to at least show people initially like, yeah, maybe I am that person I claimed I was. Yeah. Yeah, he's super talented. He's super good. He's super smart.

It's just the threat level scares me a little bit. His threat level, like I said, I don't think I'd be able to, like, if you asked me, if you were interviewing me before Survivor 50, and thank God, you weren't. he would be one of the people's like, yep, get him out.

And I realized that maybe, he's got that recency bias, you know, they just saw him. They just saw, I mean, what was it about a, oh, literally less than a week

before they left. Less than a week. They watched him win a million dollars. Less than a week. Think about that. Yeah. So super talented. I think you haven't been a good place,

though. I think you haven't been in a good place. All right. This is going to be for the turn as we start the back half here. How bad do we feel? How bad do we feel? How bad do we feel?

we feel for these people in this game they're listening to this now. They're going to be laughing our faces when one of them wins. Let's be honest. They're going to hold this over our heads. We're killing them with compliments because there's such big threats that they can't win. Exactly. And on that note, I would go with Stephanie LaGrosa. Okay. Tell me why you got stuff there. So I think Stephanie has, you know, she has someone who has expressed in the past. And listen, I think that she would be the first one to tell you that she's not the best liar. We've seen traders. But I think she's someone who is ready to step in here. I think she's someone who could be a really big asset for her tribe in particular. She is probably the physically strongest woman in that group, which could

really help in terms of challenges post-merge as well. And I think she's pretty underestimated. I think a lot of people, now the one thing that gives me pause is that I think a lot of people have been clocking her and Colby being together. And that could be viewed as a block or it could be viewed as, you know, getting an easy pair to split up. But I think in that case, maybe you get rid of Colby instead of Stephanie. And we forget that, like, Stephanie made it to the final two of Survivor Guatemala, you know? So I do not think, I don't have a lot of confidence maybe in Stephanie's more independent gameplay.

If she locks in with somebody, I could see potential if she's sitting in a final three with them, that she might be able to squeak out a win. She might be the worst liar I've ever met. I love when you said we saw she's a bad liar on the traders I was hoping you were going to deep cut with snake in the grass but you didn't go there

but she was pants by serene yeah you didn't go there but Steph is still a beast a physical beast she works out she's cut she's ready to rumble and

and she's been to the end like you said she's just you know it's been a while since she's played Yep, 15 years. Yeah. So can she adapt to the fast-paced game of Survivor? Does she have enough social connections to win Survivor?

I'd love to see her win. I would love to see her win. It'd be super fun to see her pull that out. Again, sorry, I'm dating myself. But like, if you were around when she was on Palau, like these are like the people, I was thinking about this. And maybe I'm off and maybe you're going to remind me of someone. or maybe you'll you'll push back on this.

But in terms of like the biggest players, like when they were on the show, like just like transcending the survivor audience just to be like massive, huge, like stars is the wrong word. But like the biggest personalities at a single time of Survivor, to me it was like,

Rupert was like the first just, I mean, obviously Hatch, obviously Colby. But like Rupert was another level. Rupert was like a crazy level that can't be under, like, because it was Hagrid was happening right around the same time. And everyone was going to Hagrid. And he's stealing shoes. Stephanie was the next one.

Like, Stephanie was so popular in Palau. Literally, she descends from the pyramids of Guatemala and people are like, I applied to this show because of you. She was massive, huge which is why they brought them back that fall season. After that, then Surrey, right? Surrey was like so popular that they re-edited to put her into the finale with a weird, like, you know, cliffhanger, the cliffhanger with her. And then I think you jump after

Surrey all the way to like, I mean, who? Christian maybe? But Christian wasn't quite on that level. I mean, you can argue Russell to a certain extent. You could argue Russell in a very different way, but I guess I'm talking more like heroic like, you know, hero, people love,

everyone loved Rupert, everyone loved Stephanie, everyone loved Surrey. Honestly, I might take a huge jump and go to Carolyn. That's what I was going to say. I said, maybe you can do Christian. Everyone loved Christian. Maybe you can put them in that. If not, it's Carolyn. Yeah. Um, yeah. So that, that, that, that, that to me, like, those are the biggest survivor players at the time of their first airing, like, ever in terms of like, popularity, people loving them. So, so, so Stephanie Wynn would be huge, uh, for, for the show and, and a 50th season.

All right. I hope she has, I hope she can play in this fast-paced game. I'm a little nervous. Yeah. That's the thing for me is like, I mean, we've seen a couple times, though, we've seen these players kind of get to the end by kind of drafting off of, you know, those, those who might be a little bit more fast pace. So I don't know if that person will be Colby necessarily. So maybe, you know, it might be best to cut bait with Colby and find someone else to join up with. But again, we're going to read to your point.

We're getting to these backcaps picks where there's going to be considerable drawbacks to each one of them from our perspectives. Yeah. So on that note, make your next two. Oh, man. It's tough. There's a lot of people here that have big threat levels. and that's why we haven't picked them.

There's some people here that, you know, you're wondering, can they adapt to the game? There's some people here, you wonder if they're insulated with the social connections. There's some people, a person here that just played,

and so you're wondering how that, how that factors in. Wow, I, I think I'm going to go Colby. I can't believe I'm saying that. I can't believe. And I'll tell you why I'm saying it. I mean, like,

I cannot express how disappointing his last, two outings were. Yeah. Yeah. And I think in a weird way that really helps him here. Yes. You know what I mean? Like no one is worried about Colby.

No one's worried about, you know, Superman coming out because they think it's a Superman in a fat suit. Exactly. They don't know the James Guns Superman. Yeah. And I don't, listen, we talked to him. He called out his last two performance. But like, Mike, I talked to him for All-Star. excuse me, well, I did talk him for All-Stars.

But I talked to him before Heroes Villains, and he was calling out his All-Stars performance and saying how bad it was and how now it was all changed. And then he came out and it was Dudsville again. And a lot of, I mean, some of that I honestly think was getting embarrassed by coach on day one. I was out there when it happened and it was so much longer than what you saw on TV

and it was like inch by inch over like 20 minutes that just one round. And he told me that it was. embarrassing and it was humiliating. I don't think he ever recovered from that. So I'm wary of him. I'm wary of like, is this just him talking tough before the game? But I just will say, I think that he's having nothing to do with like the game already. Like he has an enthusiasm that we that we saw at the marooning. I'm just going to say that like that I think this time will play well with the other people. This whole season, these people want to have fun. They want to celebrate. There's,

there's good vibes. Obviously, there's going to be backstabbing all that stuff. But I think that like, his threat level is so low, is so low right now. And you say, all right, he's in, you know, he's right around his mid-50s, I guess, right? But there's a lot of people at that age. Yeah, he's 51. Yeah, there's a lot of like people in there sort of early to mid-50s.

So I just, I, we'll see, man. We'll see. I'm worried because I've been burned before. Well, and I think also what I was most concerned about is that Colby has given off, maybe with one exception, probably the most negative preseason impression where he has been purposely trying to come across

with this like steely exterior. He went back to Texas to become a welder. He's used to working with steel. Christian called it resting murder face. I consistently heard a lot about how they felt he was being antisocial. And I think that might be compounded on the fact that they believe,

okay, this is Mr. Old School, won't want to work with the new kids. Did he even see our season? He did. Like, going through all. Like, he has watched the new era. And so I'm really hoping he can, can turn that perception around immediately.

If they go to tribal council early, that's when I worry that perception can come in. But otherwise, like, I think there is also a little bit of reverence as well from some of these players of like, I get to work with, as Jeff said, like the first all-American hero of Survivor and Colby. It is funny because the pregame, you never know. Like some people can't recover that.

Some people like in a weird way, like, then it's almost like nagging. You know what I mean? Like you get out there on the beach and like, oh, this guy is really, because he's like, he's very boisterous once the game starts. Like he's very excited to be here. he wants to be here and like he's got step on his tribe if they can like bring some people in to like coalesk with an alliance i think maybe he's got a shot all right pick number eight for you sir this is me again yeah okay uh geez um god there's some people want to pick but their threat level is so high yeah um all right i'm gonna i'm gonna i'm gonna i'm gonna do it i'm gonna i'm gonna i'm gonna go genie I'm gonna go Genevieve. Genevieve.

Genevieve's gonna- The internet rejoices that she was finally picked. Yeah, she's, she's, it's just, it's just her threat level. It's just her threat level. It really is, yeah.

That's honestly the only reason is that so many people talked about how she's dangerous. Specifically, it was this idea that she has no emotions when she plays, which was obviously part of her own big art, right, was that she realized that,

oh, when you crush people's dreams, you know, you crush their emotions along the way. And a lot of people picked up, but then they're like, oh, look what she can do. Yeah.

And, you know, played very, People saw it recently and again like they might feel like they can't read her That makes you nervous that's like what I was talking about with Kyle and Charlie Yep to me personally that makes me nervous if I feel like I can't or I'm gonna misread this person right and I think that's Something that she has that that's going against her super skilled obviously But I just I worry about the threat level But yeah I love her game yeah, I love getting the chance to talk with her like she is in so great such good spirits

She's, I mean, listen, if anything, they're going to quite literally fleece her and get that big red jacket off her. The big red coat. As we're going against her. Which I'm still, I'm hoping at this point this podcast has released. People are as obsessed with that as we are because it was all I could think about the first time I saw. It was just this massive red jacket. Yeah. It's like we are in Fiji.

But it gets cold here, people. It gets cold. It gets windy. She might need it. So anyway, yeah, Genevieve. I'm going to go Genevieve there. All right. What do you got?

Okay. This is going to be a high variance pick because. To be candid, you know, you talk about like the high energy coming from a lot of these people. She did not come in with a high energy. But I have faith that if Aubrey feels like she should be here, then she will put a lot of effort into this. It has been a wild time for her. She played three seasons and essentially what, like three calendar years, humanably. And she ended things on a really, really rough note.

but for me it's sort of like I have faith in her that she was really drawn back into the game she's had a lot of time away she's had a child to your point and I think that also all that time away and sort of like you were mentioning with Colby her kind of being panced in edge of extinction does help

now look there's maybe one exception of somebody that's like no don't you remember what Aubrey did but I think that that's not what a lot of people think of Aubrey and if she's able to channel that co-wrong you know, that person that helped run that endgame, that I think we can find that spark again. Well, you know who remembers Corong Aubrey, and that's Q. Q remembers that.

They're on a tribe together. How's like they laugh hysterically and Hug when they found out they were on a tribe together. And we'll see how he feels about now being on a tribe with her, who he, of course, as we know from 46 views as a massive threat. I told Aubrey this. I've never seen a bigger change in a problem. person in pregame interviews then between Edge of Extinction and this one. She was

manic. She was all over the place going to Edge of Extinction and she of course was not helped by a format that did returning players no favors whatsoever in that game. I just don't know what to make of her in the game. We know she's an incredible player. Her Co-Rong experience was

incredible. Obviously as her performance or standing games with diminishing return since then that happens with a lot of players who start off so strong because and they're so good, everyone wants to get rid of them. That's what happens. I just, I don't know where she fits with the tribe yet. She was very mellow as a cello in our interviews, as you alluded to.

And how's that going to play with someone like Colby, who's very enthusiastic, Angelina, who's got a lot of energy, Q, who's off the charts energy. But she's got Genevieve, who's also, you know, like, not as energetic out there. I think, I think, honestly, Aubrey and Genevieve are going to click. I would love that. and immediately. I would love that. I feel like Kyle can kind of go with anyone.

That's Kyle straight. So Kyle could go with them too. We'll see where Aubrey goes. I just, I don't know what to make of the gameplay after the last few times. And like I said, I hope she's able to,

we've seen her be emotional out on the island before. Yep. I hope she's able to be able to keep that in check. I know it's going to be very difficult. And I hope she can do it. Okay. Let's talk about the turn here. God.

I am going to go, with, I'm going to go with our second unknown here. I'm going to go with Savannah. Yeah, I think that's a good pick. I think it's good. Tell me why you pick Savannah. Well, so here's the thing. We don't know this is the case.

Everyone assumes that she's won. That's the large reason why she has fallen as far down as she did. Because for what it's worth, I picked her as my winner for 49. I felt a really good vibe from her. I think she just has this natural sense that comes from years of being a broadcast journalist to be able to, like, sit down. get on your level and then like your putty in her hands

you know and I'm hoping that again I'm banking with a lot of these people on like yes if she did win then or if she did really well then it's like okay that's great but like once I actually talk with you and work with you this is someone I want to lock them with

again much like Kyle I do not think they'll vote for her to win we should also mention Savannah is on a tribe with Rick both news anchors in Atlanta Georgia Savannah has mutual friends with Rick Devons on paper it could be like

oh my God, she's all alone. She has a pregame with anyone. She's not connecting with anybody. That is a connection right there. That could really be that lifeline. Yeah. By the way, it's funny at the end of my pregame interview with her for 50. She said, oh, who is your winner pick for 49?

And I said, honestly, Savannah, I can't even, I can't even remember at this point. I'm so locked in a 50. And then I'll see him later. I'm like, oh, it was Nate Moore. Nate Moore was. And I didn't know, as Mike and I say, we have no, we have no idea how to Nate Moore did. And we will say, yeah, you and I can talk, like, we had a very good impression from Nate Moore in those first three days. He was, he was my winner pick.

I have no idea how he did in 49. I have no idea if that was a good or bad pick. Yeah. But that was my winner pick. But I told Savannah this, like, I think my pregame interview with her, by the way, I had lost my voice. So all those interviews, I was just struggling. So like, everything was just, I was on weird, weird, phagian medications. Like, I don't know what was happening.

At this point. I know. But when I, but I'll tell you the moment when I knew she was a good player in 49. I don't even know if this was on air or not. It would have been in the premiere. She was sitting there talking to Sage. Yes. And they're having a very personal conversation.

And Sage was talking about some very personal things. And I don't know if this made there or not. We won't disclose as of yet. Right. But what struck me was the way Savannah was listening to her. She was so actively engaging her, making her feel supported. And meeting, without getting to too many details, an incredibly personal thing. Yes.

And she was the eye contact, everything she was doing. And so I said to Savannah on 50, I was starting her, I was like, look, I'm sure some of that was personal. And I don't know if some of that was also gameplay. Like, I don't know. But I knew you were a good player there, the social skills, in terms of how you were navigating that situation. That's what I knew she was really good.

Mike and I know basically nothing else about her, 49 experience. But I think she's clearly got the skills to pay the bills. And the only question is being an unknown quantity and at least a presumed winner by this cast, you know, she could be in some trouble. All right. Back to you for two. Wow. Okay. I'll just review here because we only got a few left. So it's from Vatu, it's only one. It's Q.

From Kalo, the Green Tribe, it is D. Jonathan, Camilla. And then from Sela, the Orange Tribe, it is Joe, Ozzie, and Rick Demons. Yeah, I'm, I'm, there's a reason to go for everyone here and there's a reason to go against everyone here. You know what I mean? That's really it. And I guess we'll talk. about all those reasons as we get into all of them. But I'll go, I'll go D here. Listen, I've seen it. The only reason, the only reason D's this low is because she is, I think, and a lot of people

think, and a lot of these players in the season think the best new era winner. Yes. The most skilled player. One of the most skilled winners we've seen in a long time. Yeah, and like, don't even just keep it into new era. She's one of the best winners, you know, in the show's history. She's that good. And they know she's that good.

But like I said, I was out at Heroes Villains. I had everyone tell me Parvety's got to go first. Parvety was sitting in the final three. So it can be done. And she's got the skills to do it. The question is it's just all about that threat level, man. It's just, it's tough. I mean, I think it's something that certainly if her tribe is losing challenges,

she is one of the physically strongest women in the game, just straight off of the challenge as well, which we don't know how she did on. So I think that also her social strategy. are sharpened as well in a manner speaking. I mean, what she professed to me, and it might be a little bit of wishful thinking on her part, was basically like, I get it. If I sit down and talk with somebody,

that is all I need. And so I think that maybe that could replicate. I do agree, and that's why she's with love D at the stage of the game, is that I don't know how far that will get a person, you know, because at the end of it will still be like, not only were you a winner,

but you played one of the most dominant games. I think something that could help D, something that can help Kyle as well, though, is, again, banking on reputation, I took my group to the end. You know, I locked in with my people and we ran things to the end. Kyle Camilla Joe can say the same thing.

And I think that's something that presents well as a possible ally, as opposed to maybe some other, you know, notable individuals who decide to cut their allies along the way. Yeah. All right, I got one more, right? You got one more, yep.

Am I going to go honor and integrity? Am I going to do it? Am I going to do honor and integrity? I guess I am. I'm going to go Joe here. Yeah, that was going to be my pick. Yeah, so here's what's working against him, honor and integrity. You know, like, will he get his hands dirty enough?

He didn't really have to last time. And people just saw what he did. They just saw him win all these challenges. They just saw him get all the way to the end. That's tough. You know, what you're hoping here is that, you know, he's on a tribe with Ozzy. I could see them wanting to link up. Yep.

I could see him wanting him wanting to link up with Surrey. And Surrey wanting to link up with him and then come. cut him later, but like I could see like, I could see them, that sort of happening. Does this tribe meet his strength? We think that this tribe could be in some trouble on challenges, so they might want to keep him. He's a likable guy. He's a really likable guy and he's a strong physical competitor.

And he is the exact kind of guy you actually do want to work with. Yes. I mean, again, like look at his resume. Like he was loyal to the soil for, unless you ask David Kinney, most of his people. Right. David, David would have other things to say about that. And, you know, Shaheen, there was a good lie. Turned him around on Shaheen.

And Shaheen was floating his name. Yeah. Like, Shaheen was, what Joe will tell you was, it's not about the lies necessarily about the idol. It's about that Shaheen was floating his name. Yeah. So if you're a player out there and you've seen him in the way he was with Eva, right? And with Shaheen, until Shaheen started to start to play him, that's a guy you want to work with.

That's a guy I would want to work with. And then I'd cut him, right? So hopefully you should be insulated early. So I'll go Joe there. Yeah, I think that Joe, the only thing working against him is that, look, with 49, you talk about the difficulty and digesting thing. Joe is still trying to piece together why he lost from my perspective. Like he, you know, didn't do the typical thing sometimes where like you talk to the former jurors

as to like what exactly ended up happening. So it's going to be interesting to see he's not going to go full black hat, JT and Heroes versus villains, right? Like burn them all. Like he's still going to play inherently to who he is. I think he's just going to have difficulty. I think he's going to do well. Like, I don't see a reason to get rid of Joe.

Right. In the premersh. Because even when he dominated, like, yes, he dominated, but people are going to remember that ending where he ended up as a third place one vote finalist. Yeah. I think the question is, can he figure out in the end, especially in a cast that I imagine will be like even more gameplay forward. Yeah.

How he can master that. But I think, I think he's in a good spot. Yeah. It's tough. I mean, he's just a season just terrible. I think he's in a good enough spot too. All right. I'll go with

all right. Let me go with another big guy here. I'll take Jonathan. And I do not think Jonathan can win.

Let me be clear. I think that he is someone that may not make it past I'm going to be conservative and say like seventh place.

But I think there's a fair chance that either their not, his tribe is not going to lose in the pre-merge if they stay

in these tribes or they're not going to get rid of him in the pre-merge. And again, and look at 42 and you think on

paper, this is a guy I want to get rid of, but because he was locked in with that Taku4, I think there could be an example here.

He is someone who wants to work with the old school players, which is great. He can be picked up as a number there. And like, while he is threatening in physical challenges, there's a chance that like, if he's around with a D, or if it's someone like,

if Chrissy or Stephanie or Jenna or Angelina are kicking ass, then like, okay, Jonathan's the biggest, but just because you're the biggest doesn't mean you're going to be the best these types of challenges. Guys,

he's so big. He's so freaking big. We obviously weren't. out out here for 42 COVID protocols were in place. And I was at the tribe camp and this is nothing to do with any gameplay. And he went down to the beach and he took his shirt off. And I was like, oh my God. Like, oh my God.

Like it's crazy. And so, you know, I've been the king of like tribe strength is overrated. You don't need to keep around the strong people early. It's all about the puzzles anyway. But I think I'd have a hard time getting rid of him early. Like he's so big. So good in water. We saw him toss his entire try back in 42 in the water.

I mean, like, geez. Yeah, I mean, from what, you know, I do friend or foe with all these players. And he was always friend until the individual game. Right. So that's, I'm, again, a little bit of slip picket towards the bottom here. I want to go with someone who's like pretty much guaranteed to be okay the first half of the game. Yeah. Okay.

All right. At the turn here, this is going to be a bit of a risky pick here. But I picked Kyle. How could I not keep him and Camilla together? I'll take Camilla. I think that Camilla is this low, obviously, because of this recency bias, because she is regarded as a very sneaky, dangerous player. But if you look at Calo, I think that if they need puzzles, she just very recently showed that she is really, really good at that. I think if Kyle or Joe is voted out, that very much diminishes her threat level.

I do not know if they let her get to the end, and I could see her very easily get voted out in the premurge. But listen, underestimate her at your own peril. You know, we learned that the first time. Listen, I didn't pick her because I already reversed jinkster by making my winner pick. She was my winner pick in 48. And so sorry about that, Camilla. So I decided to do you a solid and not pick you at all this time. I love her so much.

I would love a Camilla win if she could pull it out. I just think she's such a fun, entertaining player, whether she looks like a garden gnome with her hoodie or not. So, and she's good on puzzles. And they do need a puzzle person. on that truck. Chrisie's good at Puzzles. Also, she could say, hey, listen, look what I did for Kyle on the jury.

Don't you want to work with me? Yeah. Don't you want me to do that for you? She's a really good social player. I know she kind of like, you know, maybe that didn't necessarily come through last time. But I think she's great. I couldn't pick her.

All right. Dalton Ross, we have three lovely gentlemen left, and you're going to pick two and you're going to leave me with one. How much is Rick Devin's hating us, by the way, now? I don't say he's my pick, but it's how much is he hating us,

right now. I did a podcast with the guy for like two years. I know. You're the one that's more and how more than I am, but we have it. We'll get, we'll get into that when we pick up because I'm not picking them now. All right. I'm picking Ozzy. Here's just an interesting thing apropos of nothing about Ozzy, right? And I talked to him about this. Everyone talks about what a terrible

social game, social player is, and strategic player. Ozzie talks about what a terrible social and strategic player he has been. Listen, he's one vote and one final challenge away from, from being a two-time winner. Absolutely. One vote in Cook Islands,

last challenge in South Pacific, he's that close to being a two-time. You can't be that terrible if you're, it's social and strategic, if you're, you know, that close in those two times. I think he's got a tough road here ahead of him. I could be wrong. Yeah, I think his reputation is preceding him

while he might not necessarily, and I say this with love Ozzie, be necessarily physically up to, snuff as he was in his glory days to prove that. He's not 24. Look, I'm, you know, we've all gotten older, right? And, and, and he's just, you know, exactly. It's a weird thing where I think it hurts him having Joe on it, this tribe. Yes.

Because it's like, we could get rid of Ozzy and Joe's still here. Right. Exactly. You look at those two together and it's like, oh, that's, but I think that hurts him a little bit. Yeah, I think that, I mean, Ozzy's coming in with this incredible headspace where he's undergone so much since the near decade that he's been on Survivor as well as that is to say. I mean, what he expressed to me is he said, first four times I was Ozzy, this time I'm Oscar.

Yeah. And so I'm really intrigued to see even if he feels like he might not be physically up to stuff. And I feel like even Ozzy at 70% is like better than any of us at 100%. Oh, oh, yeah. But I think that if he is able to really, it's like you were talking about with Colby, like if he really is able to make things more relationship oriented, then okay, maybe he is able to help he's going to like we mentioned before him and seri do you want to work together i think that christian is someone who could join up with him you know i think him and emily could really lock in together uh

you know ozzie's a big fan of like brandon sanderson novels emily i think is a big fantasy reader as well so like yeah yeah i think i think when when you really get to know ozny and like all the stuff that he's into he's a very multi-faccented individual we've seen a lot of him in many ways uh and i think that if they allow that to happen it's possible he could go far i don't know i was i i don't know i Ozzie number five is, is I'm intrigued to see. I am too. I mean, the weird thing is, like, I've hung out with Ozzy, you know, out of the game. And he is, he's a social dude.

Yeah. Like, he's a social dude. You just needs to put it together on the island. He'll be the first to tell you, maybe he's isolated himself in showmances, like, you know, in the past or, like, would be showmances, you know, with relationships. But, like, yeah, an Ozzy win, of course, would be incredibly satisfying, I think, for Survivor 50 as well. All right, Dalton, your final pick. Final pick. So we got Q and Rick are left. Yeah, there we go. All right, I guess I'll pick Rick, Devons, put him out of his misery. All right. So Rick, here's why. You're wondering why we picked you

last. Or are you? Because we'll see at what point in the preseason this comes out because he might know the reason very flagrantly. He, he, so, you know, we ask the players again, like, who are you feeling? Like, who are you worried about? There was a lot of talk that, that about, uh, kind of what you said about Colby in a different way. Mike said earlier that there was a lot of talk about Colby being very stern looking and in Ponderosa and pregame and very intense and maybe I think Rick was the polar opposite of that. Exactly. Rick was a, you know, they can't talk, but he's kind of like, you know, being a little bit of a goofball, being like, what we know, Rick, like lovable Rick. Very, very smiley, lots of eye contact. Yeah, right. And I think there's some players that that worried them

a little bit. It concerned them a little bit, like that he was playing the game too much. So if you're hearing this, Rick, this is what the people told us. And, you know, that they worried that what he was trying to do, what he told me was trying to do. He may have told you to do. He was trying to be the goofy dad. Like, I'm just having to have fun. And that was his-

Lion King T-shirt and everything. Right. And that was his strategy. And maybe it worked with some people. And there were some people that definitely do want to work with him. But there's also a lot of people that it worried them that he was already playing that social game. And so the question became, is that going to come back?

to bite him in the butt. I think he's insulated the place. I will say this. I love him and Christian. You know, a tribe together. I think they're going to vibe so well. I think they're going to vibe hard.

You mentioned Rick and Savannah, both former anchors in Georgia. Could there be a connection there out of that? Or is it the island not big enough for two former anchors? They can't both be doing the news bulletins, the breaking news alerts. That bench can only be so big. I mean,

I think what it's a double whamie for Rick as well, because you also have to remember what he comes to the game being perceived as, right, which is Mr. Idol Finder. down four idols, won for individual immunities, was set up to be the person to win this season where not for a blind side hit from Chris Underwood at the final four.

So it's tough because, again, with some of these players, you could think, well, they come in with a lot of that, but then they get brought into the orbit, you know? And Rick would, unfortunately, and I love Rick, and I love Rick's energy, he was not able to do that in the preseason. If this tribe goes to tribal council early, I think there's a very fair chance that Rick could go, just because of those first impressions.

Yeah, and, you know, there's also, I mean, you may think this doesn't matter to players, but it does, right? These are all people that want to be the stars of the show. Yeah. And Rick is a great confessional interview. So good. And he's a narrator. There are these certain people that are big narrators for the season.

Rick is one of them. They know it. They've mentioned it. They want to be the narrator for the season. One person said, like, I don't want Rick to tell the story of the season. I want to tell the story of the season. And so that's just, again, his, his, His skill as a player or a TV character in this case could come back to bite him.

You're right. He found all these idols. People are going to be concerned about that. He's playing a big game going out of the gate. And he wants to play this big fun game. He's saying the question is, does that attract people or does it make them just more nervous about him? Well, speaking of big, a big. Oh, boy.

Let's talk about our last pick here. Big mistake, Mike. Big mistake. All right. I'm so sorry for everyone. Christmas is canceled, I think. I think we did this, Dalton, because the last pick is. is Q. I mean, it just is a matter of reputation. It is the fact that when I talk with every

single person, with the exception of Tiffany, which the two of them are thickest thieves, everyone was saying, Q, too chaotic, tried to quit the game. It's getting rid of people for all these reasons, but he doesn't have control of the game. He tries to leave it, have to get rid of him. Now look, there is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Dalton Ross, that Q has come in and become the lowercase Q that he has somehow mellowed himself out and he's like, ah, you know what, I'm just going to lay low right now. For what it's worth, he was, you know, he was in control of that Yanu tribe and that disaster tribe.

Like he was in a really good spot. He had all the power in his hands. And so on the one hand, you think, okay, he would learn from that and learn how to exercise that restraint. On the other hand, that is not quintavius Cuber debt. No, it's not. It's not. And so it's going to be an incredible experience.

no matter what. He is also, you know, he's a very good physical asset, which might help early on. But it's going to be tough to find people who would want to work with Q, I think. The biggest thing you want in a alliance partner

is stability and predictability. Yes. It's the exact opposite of Q. It's like, you know what I mean? Like, it's like, he is the exact opposite of that. You can't, you know, like that time where he tried to quit at tribal council.

I mean, just like, you saw how, pissed off everyone was. It's a pretty surprised the producers. The producers didn't know that was happening. Yeah. All the players were pissed off about that. And no one wants to play with anyone that you can't count on their vote and that they're going to do what they say and say what they do. And maybe Q would be different to it, but that's what these players have seen.

And that, like, if I were out there, you were out there, I'm sure it would make us extremely nervous. I hope he doesn't go early. I hope he stays. He's just like, I mean, the interview that I do with him, I'm sure the same of the he was just like, it was just crazy. It was just like one sound bite after. He's one of these players like, he was not crazy when I talked to him before 46.

No, he was more so like he was. He was intense. He was intense. He was very intense. He was this very driven man when we spoke to him. And then it's almost like he started like doing, getting a little wacky. And then like, obviously the producers like that. And like it started like, you know, just sort of steam rolling.

And I think this time he's coming in like amped up. And it'll be he'll be tons of fun to watch. I hope we get to watch him for a while. All right, let me read the recap here. Oh, boy. Dalton Ross, your team. Survivor 50 is Christian Hubicki. Chrisi off back.

Tiffany, the Risgod, Surrey, Mike White, the colpster, Colby Donaldson, Genevieve, D, Joe Hunter, Ozzie, and Rick Devons. How are you feeling right now? I feel good. I'm still mad that you stole Emily flipping from me. I don't like that you did that, but that was of my own doing.

No, I feel good. I feel good about my squad. What's your squad? So I have the first overall pick. I just have to say that. It's so improbable. Coach Benjamin Wade. Charlie, Jenna Lewis,

Emily Flippen, Angelina, Kyle, Stephanie Lagrosa, Aubrey, Savannah, Jonathan, Camilla,

and Q. This is a hot mess. And I'm so excited. Because if any of these people win, I mean, really any of these people in this castes win, It's a hallmark of a very good season, hopefully. Yeah, I think so.

You and I feel definitely better about it after doing the interviews with folks. And definitely made us more invested, not that we wouldn't be invested in season 50 of Survivor, obviously, but got us a little more amped, a little more hyped. And I think the players are hyped. All right, Dalton Ross, that is it. Thank you so much for being. So how does the scoring work on this?

I mean, it's winner take all. It's just winner take all. Okay. I don't know. Do you want to do that? No, whoever has the most, the final three. No, no, I like that. I like that scoring is, uh, is, is, is good. Who's going to most pissed at us? Which of these players is going to be most upset? Devons? I think we're to

look to our bottom two picks here. I think we are, we are, we are, the DMs are open, gentlemen, if you'd like to slide. I mean, again, it's because you're a threat. If they, people didn't think, like, weren't worried about you in some sense, then, you know, you would have been the higher up, I mean, you know, maybe. So listen, again, listen, John, Dalton and I have been doing this for years. We are very used to being clowned on for a yeah, so we're just adding fuel to that fire. And you, you, you, brought the fire this time, Dalton. Thank you so much for being so charitable with your time. I know we're both waiting to go to dinner. Yeah, yeah. We gotta go get a Fiji Gold.

Yeah, it's after a very long day, but like, I've said this to you many times, but like I will continue to say it on air. You have no idea how much everything you, you've been able to do with this community, especially in the ways that you've been able to support me, like absolutely means me, including sitting down and getting to chat randomly about the fact that we just get to talk with this cast and talk through Survivor 50. I mean, as someone who's been with this show since the beginning. Like, it's such an incredible milestone that I am so glad that you are here for and that I'm so glad you have been such a figurehead of as like, as a fan, as a media professional, as a friend,

like, this has been unreal. So thank you. It's extremely kind of you to say, Mike, love covering the show and I love covering with other people that love covering the show like yourself. And it's super fun to talk with you and we text all the time. We watch the episodes and stuff. And it's a blast. and it's always a blast through this.

And I didn't have to invite myself on. Rob has a podcast this time. This is incredible. I'm the charitable one by comparison. Yeah, exactly. Well, Dalton, do people want to keep up with what you're doing, especially during the Survivor season? Anything you want to plug?

I work at this place called Entertainment Weekly. So we do a bunch of Survivor stuff as, you know, so yeah, if you, for those that actually still enjoy the written word, as opposed to the spoken, you know, check out the stuff. And you can find me on all those. the dumb social media platforms as well. And you can find me at a Mike Bloom type. That's going to do it for this podcast.

Thank you all so much for listening. Let us know what you thought about our picks, what you know about our thoughts. You in some ways you know a lot more than us and ways we know more than you. It's a fun balance. Yeah, yeah. Listen, I can't get aflamed any harder

than all my season rankings. So I don't have at it. All right. Well, thank you all again so much, and thank you so much. We'll have plenty more Survivor 50 freezes and content coming your way. Until next time, everybody.

Take care. Bye-bye. All right. Yes.