With the dawn (Meehan) of every new season, there exists a possibility that we will come to know new and interesting personalities. During seasons with returning players, this is harder to achieve because we already know all of the characters. It has been my experience that most people who return end up marring their original reputation or leave the game adding nothing to their legacy. Even three and four time-returning players such as Russell, Rupert and Ozzy have played the in virtually the same manner each and every time they have come back. I have no interest in watching these people play because they have no ability to change. Other characters have proven to be compelling upon their return because we see new aspects (both positive and negative) about their character. In this group I would place people like Coach, Penner, Cirie, Stephenie and Jerri. Upon each of their times coming back we got to see a multi-season story arc. Lastly, I would classify a small selection of players as those who have completely changed their original reputation. All-Stars created a whole slew of these people in the likes of Jenna L., Amber and Boston Rob. All of these people had minor influences on their original seasons but completely dominated the season in which they returned. In the case of Boston Rob, he altered the course of Survivor history as a result of the way he played the game. In this same group I would also add Parvati, Cochran and even Dawn who significantly improved upon their original characterization. I'm not saying that everyone else who has returned has been insignificant but these 14 players seem to stand out among the rest. That's just 25 of the 53 people that have played more than once (prior to the premiere of Blood vs. Water). Of the people coming back this season, we can only hope that more than a quarter will stand to improve upon the past. 
Out of the ten returning players, I am most excited to see Aras, Gervase, Tina and Tyson back. This is a combination of nostalgia and personal preference. Using my above classification, I don't feel that Aras or Tina have much to gain coming back besides coming out victorious a second time a la Sandra. However, it can certainly be argued that Tina wants to restore her image after being the first to leave the game in All-Stars. Similarly, Tyson is surely looking to recover from his blunder in Heroes vs. Villains. If he can show some strategic thinking that doesn't blow up in his face and people just think of him as that silly guy then his time on the show ill be a success but nothing will change about his overall perception. The only way Tyson can do this is if he happens to make it deep into the game on the merits of his game. I was hopeful that Gervase would have learned lessons in the last thirteen years but it seems that he did not take swimming lessons nor learn the lesson of humility. If seeing Marissa on Redemption Island isn't a huge wake-up call for Gervase, I will be both worried and disappointed. I definitely feel bad that Candice had to be the first one voted off from Galang but at the same time she has no business being back. She fits right into the same category as Russell, Rupert and Ozzy: the people who play the same game over and over to no avail. In the case of Monica, Laura and Kat, they will have to make some big moves to greatly change their reputations otherwise they will just be seen as average grade players. I'm open to see what they might do but I'm not gong to be holding my breathe. Colton is the one person that I think has the most to potentially gain by coming back. So long as he isn't a blabbering idiot he will come out of this season looking better. The first episode certainly showcased his dramatic side but it also showed the duality within Colton: the person who struggles to be accepted as a homosexual yet outwardly shows an equal disdain for others (as he did towards Kat in the challenge). I know that previews on Survivor are usually misleading but I fear Colton is going down the wrong track. 
In the case of the newbies, I saw a good amount of potential. For one, we actually heard each of them every person on the season. The last time that happened was in Heroes vs. Villains when there was a two hour premiere. Before that, Guatemala was the last premiere to feature every contestant having at least one confessional. I applaud the editors immensely for this! Going into the season I had high hopes for Vytas and he fully lived up to my expectations. The guy proved that he has an interesting past (the addict redemptive story arc is one we've never seen before) and that he has a natural inclination to play the game. He told us that he isn't keen on going against the majority alliance but at the same time he realizes that alienating anyone is not going to work in the long run, especially in a season with Redemption Island and so many other twists that can ruin an otherwise successful game plan. Caleb showed his knowledge about the game but at this point I'm not gushing for him the same way that many other fans seem to be doing. My other favorite had to be Katie. She wasn't exactly compelling but she seems to be someone who will learn on the fly and hopefully will evolve into a real force by the later part of the game if she can improve her puzzle skills! Hayden and Ciera are people who I will continue to keep my eye on but did not blow me away after one episode. It's still so early but I hope their stories will develop along with the season. As for the biggest crier, John, I am glad he did not switch with Candice but I'm not as stoked about the fact that he's still in the game. I can only hope that Candice is eliminated from the game very soon which causes him to go into a murderous furry against the rest of the tribe. That would move him up my rankings significantly. Until then we must endure. The only person that disappointed me was Rachel. I hope she can have a better future but I was not getting great vibes from her. Lastly, I'm more than okay that Marissa and Laura were "voted out." Marissa came off much more intelligent than I had expected but Laura I could take or leave at any point. Oh wait, how could I forget about Brad, the biggest meat head of all the meat heads! This guy reminds me of a cross between Russell and Jimmy T. He has a sense of strategy and seems to not want to be around any women except his wife (this is where he strays from Russell). However, he is simply grating to watch which makes him feel reminiscent of the former Sears Application Contest. He seems like the prime person to have a moderate amount of success before his game implodes on itself. I can't wait for that to happen! Even more likely, I can see him losing the game as he tries to preserve Monica.
As for the episode as a whole, I found it to be surprisingly character-driven. I thought that kind of show was lost eons ago. Hearing every person speak on a 20 person season is nothing shy of a miracle! The
Day 0 twist was mainly ineffective on impacting the game but I will not
discredit it because it set up a great way to introduce the viewers to all of the contestants. I feel that every season could benefit from a 90-minute premiere so I'm glad that has been a more common trend in recent seasons. I mentioned it earlier but the opening sequence introducing each couple was so refreshing to the usual introduction of three or four dominant characters that will rule the season. It reminded me of the introductions given in the first couple seasons just with modern flare. I'm worried that the honeymoon period with this season could come to a crashing halt after the next episode but I will get to watch it live on my birthday which hasn't happened since episode 2 of Gabon five years ago!I've never blogged about the show before so I may eventually create a more rigid structure to my recap but only time will tell. The only thing I will definitely NOT do is to just rehash everything that happened in order. Anyone who watched the episode saw what happened and shouldn't have to hear about the same events over again. Thanks for reading and tune in again after episode two of Survivor: Blood vs. Water!
Follow me on Twitter @RobsFactChecker where I live tweet every week from the West Coast broadcast.
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