u/Effective-Front389

While the next batch of contestants can be found on television screens, they are not unfamiliar to finding themselves on computer and phone screens. They’re also familiar with conflict given the ongoing streaming wars. 

Please submit 1-2 characters who come from a streaming network (e.g., Hulu, Netflix, Max, etc) original show (e.g., Stranger Things, Pen15, Heated Rivalry, etc.). 

Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3.

Casting Update (as of 4 comments): 6 open female slots, 4 open male

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/28/r.php?c=KcsdQWsy

Major Storylines, Themes, and Shoutouts
>!Kyoka v Daphne: Kyoka selects Daphne as the weakest member of the tribe in the opening twist. Later in the first episode, the two target one another after Luzon loses the challenge. Daphne wins out when Kyoka is voted out 4-2. A short but fun rivalry. !<

>!The Rise and Fall of Lotus: Although they never see tribal, Lotus is the social and strategic center of her original tribe, forming multiple group and 1-1 alliances. The edit shows her playing the middle in a budding Sayid and Bruno rivalry. Post swap, Solani tribe members are targeted as the only tribe to never see tribal council, but Lotus and Bruno successfully flip the target onto Hercule. Although he voted with them to get the numbers last round, Lotus flips on Indiana at the next tribal council. She still has the numbers when her tribe loses again, but Amane’s successful idol play negates 4 votes and sends Lotus home with 1 vote. !<

>!Amane the Idol Queen: After her previously mentioned successful idol play, Amane finds the super idol shortly after the merge! This idol saves her at the final 7 tribal council (after another idol play by a different player - see below). Both of her idols take out major players in the opposing alliances, as well (although her vote was negated by a second idol at the final 7 tribal so she gets less credit there). !<

>!Bruno’s Revenge: Bruno does not forget Amane idoling out his number #1 ally Lotus. After finding himself largely on the outs and on the wrong side of the votes in the early merge, Amane extends an olive branch to him and reveals her super idol to him (what’s the harm?). Bruno reveals this to Daphne and Dipper under the guise of a split vote plan that still benefits them (flushing the idol, Shaggy going home). But it’s a double (triple?) bluff when Bruno plays his idol on Shaggy and negates 3 votes for him. The 3 votes for Amane are negated by the super idol. That leaves 1 vote. Bruno’s vote for Daphne. !<

>!Daphne: Major player throughout the season and controlled the early merge. She formed a strong alliance (her, Dipper, Miss Scarlet, and Sayid) post swap that could have taken her to the end game if not for the super idol situation. She also got Sayid to play his idol on her at the merge even though she had her own idol! !<

>!Bruno the Idol King: Amane leaves the throne vacant and Bruno takes it over. He finds an idol at the final 9 (the one he uses on Shaggy to take out Daphne), but then later finds TWO more within a day of each other in the very late game. This results in him having 2 idols and immunity at the final 5. He uses them to protect both his allies (Shaggy and Amane), resulting in Dipper going out with 2 votes. !<

>!Shaggy Loveable and Loyal: Shaggy’s social game results in him being included in different alliances throughout the game. It also makes him a target but different more strategic players save him at different points. In a big return of loyalty, he ties the vote for Bruno at the final 4. Ultimately though, Bruno loses fire and Shaggy is voted off 3rd when Amane (now getting a cockroach edit) wins final immunity. !<

>!Sayid the Soldier: Sayid avoids tribal for the entire premerge. He then makes a huge play at his first tribal when he correctly plays an idol on Daphne. After getting into a strong alliance, he sacrifices his original tribemates (Sun, Amy) and swapped tribe mates (Carmen) to minimize his target and make inroads with his new allies. After Bruno bests him with the idol play at 5, Sayid bests Bruno the final 4 fire making challenge. His strong resume gives Sayid the win 6-3 over Amane. !<

Season Thoughts and All Stars
>!Another season where I was very entertained. Power was up for grabs throughout the endgame and I wasn’t sure how it would play out even at final tribal. !<

>!Bruno jumps out as one of the stronger strategic players of this era. Daphne also played a great game and seems like someone who would have a great growth arc. Both of them definitely need to come back. !<

>!Amane and Shaggy have strong potential too. Lotus went out a little too early for All Stars but makes sense for a second chance situation. !<

>!Sayid played a strong game but it wasn’t super dynamic. I’d give him a 50/50 for an all winners season.!< 

Thanks for playing and/or reading. Hope to see you next season (: 

Calling all characters associated with mystery! Perhaps your character is known for solving crimes or mysterious happenings. Maybe they had a mysterious background or they come from a media where larger mysteries is a main theme. Really any character that relates to the mystery genre! 

Please submit 1-2 characters who are related to mysteries in some way. 

Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3.

Casting Update (As of 11 comments): 1 open male slot

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/24/r.php?c=fZH9AAbk

Storylines and Highlights
>!Beetlejuice The Idol Finder: He finds two idols by the start of episode 3! Due to the One World twist, he’s forced to give the first idol to Lucy Loud so it makes for a fun storyline when he finds his own second. He makes a big play with his idol in episode 4 when he uses it on himself and idols Bob out of the game. Bob was becoming a strong player so this was definitely a good move beyond just saving himself. !<

>!CatNap and Bedlam Relationship: Despite being on opposite tribes, they align on day 1 due to the One World twist. They end up the same tribe post swap and end up working together to take out Aunt Gladys (Lily, Beetlejuice, and Red also get credit for this move). They take control of the first merge vote as well, but CatNap’s blindside at the tribal council after that is the end of this relationship. !<

>!Lucy, William, Death, and Aunt Gladys Relationship/Alliance: Another cross alliance that forms due to the One World twist. Although Aunt Gladys is taken out after the swap, Death does stick with her. Lucy and William have more luck in their swapped tribe as they work with Vanny and Toy Chica to successfully blindside Kano (partly for his loyalty to Beetlejuice). When the Lucy, William, and Death trio reunite at the merge they pull some big blindsides (CatNap and Beetlejuice) and make it to the final 8 in-tact. They look poised to go to the end together, but after William is blindsided at the final 8 Lucy later turns on Death to work with the girls. !<

>!Post Merge Power Struggle: It’s Lucy, William, and Death (a tight 3, “side A”) versus Bedlam, CatNap, Red, and Beetlejuice (a looser alliance of convenience, “side B”). Michael and Pamela are pretty firmly with the alliance A, while Lily leans towards alliance B. Toy Chica is a true neutral. Failed split votes, lying, and attempts to grab power (and 1 idol play) results in neither side gaining true control when we see a boot order of CatNap (side B), Michael (side A), Beetlejuice (side B), William (side A), and Red (side B)!<

>!Death Defying Idol Play: Death makes a great idol play at the final 7 to save his only ally left in the game, Pamela. Brave move to play it on her instead of himself!!<

>!Gender Battle: Since the tribes are divided by gender, this is an easy theme to incorporate and show through the characters' interactions and such. It ends up being an important theme as the alliance the ends up running the end game ends up consisting of four female characters (from different sides). This group takes it to the final 4!!<

>!Lily the Chameleon: Lily used her chameleon skills to mimic others in social conversations, allowing her to form strong relationships and keep her finger on the pulse in the early game. She then used her powers to blend in with her surroundings at the merge, allowing her to survive the battle for power even though she ended up being on the wrong side of the votes for a few tribals in row. Her best use of her chameleon gameplay comes late in the game when she separately convinces Lucy, Beldam, and Toy Chica that they need her due to the similarities in their games, and ultimately brings this group together as the 4 person alliance that runs that end game. !<

>!Lucy the Idol Waster: When you play 2 idols that end up negating a grand total of 0 votes, the edit has to clown on you in some way. It also helps explain their eventual loss despite their consistent gameplay outside the idol plays. !<

Season Thoughts and All Stars
>!A very strong season from start to finish! I genuinely had no idea who would take the win until the very end. Great characters and blindsides were plentiful. !<

>!Our winner is a social gamer who found their strategic footing in the end game and then won their way to the finals in the fire making challenge after a tie vote. Lily is a solid addition to the winners circle. !<

>!Both Beetlejuice and William were playing strong games until their blindsides so they come to mind first. Lucy, Beldam, and Death all have strong potential too. Red and Pamela behind them. !<

>!Lily for sure for an all winners season. !<

Thanks for playing and/or reading. Hope to see you next season (:

In celebration of the 13th season, Themed Survivor is seeking final girls and first kills alike. Horror mascots and urban legend monsters are also welcome. Really any fictional character that relates to the horror genre in some way will do! 

Please submit 1-2 characters who are related to the horror genre. 

Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3.

Casting Update (as of 9 comments): 1 male slot open, female slots full

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/26/r.php?c=xNHkyOCA
Super entertaining season with a strong winner. An early alliance ended up making it to the end game, but they were never in a majority and the alliance was not stable so it was entertaining to watch. 

Pre-Swap Thoughts and Highlights
>!The Fans tribe sees a lot of smaller fractions and alliances: 1) Coach and Victoria, 2) Kendal (he was with previous but flipped), Lenny, and Lucina, and 3) Lucina, Rosie, Janelle, and Captain Falcon. Cleveland and Valentino are easy consensus boots as no one wants to take a shot at someone with better connections in the two tribals they attend. !<
>!As a big player who got 5th after being medically evacuated last season, Squidward’s target is too big and he’s the first target for the Favorites. Sad for this ending for him after the way last season played out!!<

>!The Favorites see an early alliance of Vanellope, Rick, and Nathan form. Rick and Nathan are pushing for a Mickey boot next and pulling in Ani-Nami to do so. Vanellope dislikes this though and flips on her alliance to get out her own target (sound familiar?). Her target? Ani-Nami. Vanellope goes an extra step - convincing Ani-Nami to misplay her idol on Rick (who received 0 votes). Another sad ending for a favorite when Ani-Nami is out 5-4, but this was at least great from an entertainment perspective. !<

>!After the previous betrayal, Vanellope’s relationship with Rick and Nathan is strained, but they all want to stay safe. They work together to keep the targets elsewhere and Chomper ends up the victim of the truce. He almost flipped things on Sadness as the vote was 5-3 so he definitely went down swinging. !<

>!In the next episode, Vanellope realigns with Rick and Nathan. Sadness sees sticking with the bigger threats/personalities in this groups as more beneficial for her, as well. Without Sadness, Danielle doesn’t stand a chance of pulling the other votes and is out 6-1. Big player in her OG season who just wasn’t able to find her footing her. Reminds me of Ami in the real FvF in that way. !<

Post Swap Thoughts and Highlights 
>!On the new Favorites tribe, the original Fans (Captain Falcon, Kendal, Lucina, and Janelle) have the numbers. Janelle attempts to flip, but Nathan wants his revenge on Vanellope. He doesn’t take a direct shot but takes out someone who’d become a close ally of hers - Mickey. He’s out 4-3. !<

>!On the new Fans tribe, the original Favorite fare better as the original Fans factions are ready to go for each other. Lenny is successful is getting Rick and Sadness to vote with her to take out Victoria in a 4-2-1 vote (Coach also voted against his ally here for some reason lol)!<

Merge Thoughts and Highlights
>!After her move at the last tribal, Lenny is seen as a flip flopper. With 12 people fighting to stay alive at the merge, this makes her an easy target. Her original allies (Kendal and Lucina), along with Sadness, stay loyal to her but it’s not enough. Lenny’s out 8-4. Lucina also misplays an idol here. !<

>!After being largely unaligned with other throughout the game, Shiver is the next easy target for a big group. Shiver is out 8-3.!<

>!At the next vote a group of Rick and Nathan are looking to pull in Captain Falcon and Janelle (these 2 have aligned despite being on opposite sides earlier) to target Kendall. Kendall, Lucina, ,Sadness, and Coach are together, however, and targeting Janelle. Vanellope has a third target in mind though (sound familiar?). However, Vanellope’s plan fails in the first vote and in the revote she flips her vote to take out Kendal. He was one of the more stand out fan characters for sure! !<

>!The Rick-Nathan and Falcon-Janelle duos, however, can’t agree on the target at the next vote. The former want to target Rosie while the later want to target Rosie. The voteS are very close. The first one is 3-3-2-1 and the second one is 4-3. Ultimately, the Rick-Nathan duo win out as their original ally Vanellope and Coach join them. !<

>!This new 4some sees the value in sticking together and breaking up the Falcon, Janelle, and Lucina voting block that’s formed in recent rounds. This results in Falcon going home in a 4-3-1 vote. The 4some alliance told Sadness a fake plan in case she was going to leak their real plan. !<

>!Sadness feels betrayed by the other favorites but knows she needs them. She argues they need her too as letting 3 fans get to the final 6 is dangerous. Her argument works and the 4 remaining favorite vote Coach out 4-3. Turning on his allies was fruitless for him in the end!!<

>!Sadness is not able to make inroads beyond this round though. Although Rick flips to vote with her, she’s out 4-2 next. OG Sadness remains the best character of this entire series, and although her gameplay wasn’t as strong here and she was a little more muted as a character, she still has great moments and was one of my favs. Strong chance for Sadness 3.0, especially if this series does Heroes vs Villains as she’s a huge hero. !<

>!At the final 5, Lucina has the most allies on the jury and has an underdog story. This makes them an easy 4-1 vote. !<

>!At final 4, Nathan, Vanellope, and Janelle agree that Rick is the biggest jury threat. Nathan actually leads the charge against his (former) biggest ally. Janelle does something to annoy Vanellope though and Vanellope decides to leave the alliance. Janelle is the final jury member after she loses the fire making challenge (Nathan and Janelle actually flipped to voting to Vanellope instead of Rick, making the Nathan-Janelle-Vanellope alliance that formed especialaly ineffective lol) !<

Final Tribal Council 
>!Vanellope - An absolute menace to the season and her tribemates (in the best way possible). She cemented her legacy as a villain in this series. In addition to her other moments mentioned, she also denied the tribe rice at the auction when she chose to instead keep an item for herself. She didn’t always get her way (Kendal) but she did end the season with a 100% voting record which may be a series first. This queen also gets 0 votes though which may also be a series first if I’m recalling right. !<

>!Nathan - Second place two seasons in a row also cements Nathan’s legacy, but also probably feels devastating for him. Last time he lost by 1 vote (4-3-3) and this time he lost when Vanellope casts a tiebreaker vote for Rick. His game here was also very strong; pre-merge his post swap flip was excellently times and post merge he consistently remained on the right side of the vote without being targeted. He would have been a great winner here but his loss this season doesn’t sting as hard. !<

>!Rick - Our winner definitely adds to his legacy, as well! Great to see him win as he was also so close in his original season. Survived after the swap even though he was down in numbers then played well after the merge. He wins the game after receiving 0 votes against him all game. !<

Returning Players
>!Definitely a chance to see some legacy returning players, Vanellope, Nathan, and Sadness in particular feel like they have unfinished business. Rick would also be great to see again but I’m not sure how many winners I’ll be looking for and there are 1 time winners I’ld like to see still. As for the fans, Janelle gets a great edit and almost pulled out a win. Coach was a big character. Kendal fits the big player taken out earlier in the merge archetype, as well. !<

Fun season. Hope you think so too! Thanks for playing and/or reading (:

The contestants in this era of Themed Survivor have upped the lying, manipulation, and blindsides [shots include Vanellope (season 8, u/Lanky-While-4715**) blindsiding her alliance when she votes out one of her original tribe members, Danielle (season 9,** u/Leo2024YES**) coordinating her alliances moves over several votes, and Chomper (season 11,** u/Fanfic_Battle_2004**) flipping on his original tribe after the swap then surviving until the merge]** 

Some players have perfected the art of using well-timed hidden immunity idol [clips of Ani-Nami (season 10, u/GrimheartPines**) and Shiver (season 7,** u/Grand_Moose2024**) playing idols to save themselves]** 

Some players stole the hearts of both their tribemates and the viewers [montage showing Sadness (season 8, u/Imonthenextlevel**) evolving from early target to end game threat followed by shots of Mickey (season 7,** u/SurvivorNerdTTV**) making his tribemates laugh and him saying it’s his strategy]**

Some players made it to final tribal council but just barely missed out on winning the game [we see Rick (season 9, u/Life-Application7744**) and Nathan (season 11,** u/Leo2024YES**) both receiving votes at tribal council, but ultimately losing]** 

Missing out on the crown and money haunts them all but some of them feel it in a different way [footage showing Squidward (season 11, u/Lanky-While-4715**) calling taking control of a live tribal then being medically evacuated the next day]** 

However their last game played out, these 10 favorites are back for a second chance at the prize. Will one of them come out on top or will a new castaway exploit their knowledge of the favorites’ games? Find out on Themed Survivor Season 12: Fans versus Favorites

Since Fans versus Favorites is a theme in and of itself, we’ll do open character submissions for the 10 favorites! Submit any character that has not played in the series to be one of the 10 fans. If you have a favorite in the game already, you can submit 1 character. If you do not have a character already competing as a favorite, you can submit 1-2 characters. 

Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3.

(Note: Some changes were made to casting to maximize the amount of Reddit players represented. Characters not brought back here may still be eligible to come back. I also did not select winners and several of them are definitely on the short list for next returning player season! Sorry for any hurt feelings over omissions - it was tough to choose 10!) 

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/33/r.php?c=Lu6l1uFZ

Pre-Swap Thoughts and Comments
>!-On Takali, Squidward is targeted for being a physical liability, but his superior social game saved him and Mr. Frog ends up being the first boot. Although there’s 2 episodes in between, Squidward is the target again when his tribe loses and just barely survives another close vote (5-4) that flips on Sena Aoi. A Miranda and Ruby alliance seemed to pull off this move by using Squidward (the other target), and Violet and Maggey (2 people in the minority vote at the first tribal).!<
>!-On Vanau, Princess Luna is almost voted out with the idol in her pocket when the vote ties, but everyone flips on Grammy Norma in the revote. Princess Luna doesn’t mess around at the next tribal and smartly plays the idol on herself; negating 5 votes and sending home Jethro. Princess Luna’s close allies in Gum and Chomper remain loyal to her, and Haymitch joins the trio in the vote as well. Haymitch is for sure hedging his bets as he aligns with all the other folks on the tribe in the next episode. !<

Post Swap Thoughts and Comments
>!-On New Vanau, Marcy, Daring Do, and Chomper have the numbers over Ruby and Miranda. Chomper doesn’t feel loyalty to his old tribe though. He joins the Ruby and Miranda alliance, and then votes out Daring Do. This tribe loses again in the next episode, resulting in Marcy being an easy target and voted out 3-1. They lose AGAIN in the next episode which results in an interesting situation. Miranda thought she was correctly playing the middle, but Ruby senses something is up and uses the idol to save herself, sending home Miranda (her OG ally!) in the process - good intuition and move here by Ruby! !<

Merge Thoughts and Comments
>!-The Chomper, Gum, and Princess Luna alliance are looking to reunite as the trio have been spread across different tribes. Ruby seems likely to join them due to connection with Chomper. Nathan and Thad are looking to reunite with Vinny. Dr. Whooves and Mrs. Puff remain allied despite being on different tribes, as well. Haymitch’s early flipping between alliances and failure to make new connections after the swap makes him an easy target for everyone else. He’s voted out 11-2 (Maggey votes with him for some odd reason as the 2 were never on a tribe together before now)!<
>!-In a devastating loss, Ruby experiences an injury and is medically evacuated from the game. She had been a major player so far so this is a tough loss after I purposefully didn’t turn that option off this time. Second chance theme on lock!!<
>!-Chomper finds himself targeted by the Thad, Nathan, and Vinny alliance. His people - Princess Luna and Gum - remain loyal to him (and Maggey is on the wrong side of the vote again lol), but it’s not enough and he’s out 7-4!<
>!-Princess Luna follows him out next. Gum had immunity so she was an easy target. In an interesting move, Nathan and Vinny branch out from Thad when they align with Violet, Dr. Whooves, and Squidward. Probably a good move as Thad has an idol and a side alliance with Squidward and Mrs. Puff. Interested to see where this goes!!<
>!-Maggey is unaligned and another easy target in the next tribal. She goes out 7-1-1 (Thad on the wrong side is interesting). Squidward misplays an idol here which could end up being a key error for him. !<
>!-Squidward reflects on that which motivated him to find another idol at the start of the next episode! Redemption is short lived when he plays it at tribal and he receives 0 votes again. Nathan and Vinny hatch a plan that also results in Thad wasting his idol on Nathan when they act nervous that someone has flipped. Lots of idols wasted just for Gum (the last member of his alliance) to be voted out 5-1-1-1!<
>!-Despite being in somewhat of a cold war, Nathan, Thad, and Vinny all remain loyal to another and vote Mrs. Puff out at the next tribal. Nathan and Vinny definitely pushed for this as Mrs. Puff was more of Thad’s number (although she did vote for him here)!<
>!-Final 6 tribal is crazy! Thad is immune. Dr. Whooves is finally able to use the legacy advantage he’s been holding on to since episode 1! Violet also just found an immunity idol! When both are played, all the votes are negated. With only Vinny, Nathan, and Squidward eligible in the next vote, Squidward exposes to Thad that Vinny and Nathan have been plotting against him! We get another 2-2-2 tie after that, but Vinny is sent home 2-1 in the third revote. !<
>!-Knowing his back is against the wall, Nathan wins the next immunity challenge. UGHH we have another medical evacuation in Squidward! He was playing a great game and had a legit chance to win this thing! The stimulator really be messing with me for not turning it off this time. !<
>!-Thad felt the heat before Squidward’s untimely demise, and this motivates him to win the final immunity! Nathan appeals to Thad on the basis of their strong relationship and the fact that he technically never actually went against him. It works. Both Thad and Violet join Nathan in voting out Dr. Whooves. !<

Final Tribal 
>!As with most other final tribal councils in the Themed Survivor universe, the vote is extremely close; 4-3-3 to be exact! Violet’s idol play at the key moment and surviving despite being more of an outsider early in the merge earns her the votes of her allies (Dr. Hooves and Squidward) and another outsider (Haymitch). Nathan points to the fact that he directly duped Thad into misplaying his idol and that Thad potentially got lucky with Squidward’s evacuation. This earns his close ally Vinny’s votes, along with Mrs. Puff and Chomper who respect his strategic game. Thad points to the relationships he formed with the minority members which is key as Gum, Ruby, Maggey, and Princess Luna vote for him to win. !<

>!Thad was a good player and I was actually hoping he’d come out on top in the cold war he had with Nathan and Vinny. I feel he got very lucky with Squidward’s evacuation though so I actually switched to rooting for Nathan at the final tribal. Still a good winner so no disrespect to the user who submitted him, but I do feel Nathan was kinda “robbed” in the end. !<

All Stars 
>!First calls are to Squidward (borderline lock), Nathan, and Chomper. Thad is a definite for Winners at War but not sure about outside of that unless I bring all winners back again for next season (not sure how people feel on that??). Vinny, Gum, and Dr. Hooves have All Stars potential, as well. Princess Luna too but female spots have filled up fast for the next All Stars already. !<

Thanks for reading and/or playing. Hope to see you next season (:

We all deserve a chance to sign and Themed Survivor Season 11 is ready to give some side characters a chance to do just that! Perhaps your character showed up every couple episodes and got to make a few funny remarks. Maybe they’re the superhero’s best friend or lesser known sidekick. Your character’s line is definitely shorter at conventions. 

Please submit 1-2 characters who are considered a side character in a story, television show, movie, etc. Note, they can still be important to the story, popular, etc. - just secondary to some main character. 

Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3.

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/27/r.php?c=71sKmMPf

Pre-Merge Major Moments and Shoutouts: 
>!- Ugh, hate the day 1 elimination twist but this stimulator made sense for the theme of the season. Still sucks to lose Show Carol and Pony Mac to it!!<
>!-Galang is a mess tbh, losing the first 5 immunity challenges. An alliance between Classic Scarecrow, Classic Amy, Comic Carol, and Bat-Affleck allows the four of the them to be the last ones standing. Stage Elphaba was in with this group as well, but played an idol unnecessarily which made it seem like she did not trust her allies, and she became a target for it later.!<
>!-When Tadhana finally loses, Human Mac is an easy consensus vote and he’s taken out 8-1. Movie Elphaba randomly plays an idol on Boom Amy showing she can misplay idols just as well as her Broadway version! !<
>!-Stage Elphaba sees herself voted out twice in the pre-merge after Movie Elphaba swaps out with her at one point. She’s voted out the largely the same people post tribe swap - ouch. !<
>!-Redemption Duels in general provide some good entertainment. In addition to the Elphaba swap, we also see Human Bean and Game Bea swap with their patterns at different points. Comic Bean and and Show Bea at least go on to make the merge after their partners swap. No body survives more than a couple episodes, and Comic Carol eventually wins her way back into the game (right after she was voted out so she only competed in this one duel)!<

Post Merge Major Moments and Shoutouts: 
>!- Both Batmans, Bat-Affleck and Bat-Bale, are early targets at the merge for being competition threats. A Classic Scarecrow, New Wonka, and Amy Boom alliance seems to be taking control of the early merge after these two votes. !<
>!-Anime Nami (Ani-Nami) has a big idol play at the next tribal that cancels 7 votes against her. Comic Carol finds herself voted out for the second time as a result. !<
>!-The power trio that’s emerged wants to go for Ani-Nami again next round. We see a big power move though and Classic Wonka is taken out 4-3-1 vote, breaking up the power trio. Shoutout to Cartoon Scarecrow, Amy Classic, Show Bea, and Ani-Nami for this move!!<
>!-Amy Classic and Cartoon Scarecrow are quick to turn on Show Bea in the next round. The two of them along with Comic Bean pull off a wild 3-2-1-1 vote. !<
>!-People are noticing the power Cartoon Scarecrow and Amy Classic are starting to amass. The rest of the tribe turns on the duo and Cartoon Scarecrow is voted out. Amy Classic sadly misplayed an idol a few rounds ago that would have come in handy for them now. !<
>!-Ani-Nami is an easy target at five as Classic Scarecrow and Amy Boom have pulled Comic Bean in with them to now control the tribe again. !<
>!-Classic Scarecrow makes a crazy move to swap with Cartoon Scarecrow at the final redemption challenge! He’s promptly eliminated. Ani-Nami wins her way back to the game. !<
>!-It’s Ani-Nami versus Scarecrow for next boot. In a big move, the two Amys come together to take out Ani-Nami as they see her as a big end game threat. !<
>!-Amy Boom is the target at final 4 when Comic Bean wins final immunity. She’s won many post merge challenges and has a lot of allies on the jury. !<

Final Tribal Council
>!- In classic Themed Survivor fashion we have a very close final vote. Really it couldn’t be closer as it’s 3-3-2. Classic Amy pulls out the win. She definitely deserved the win as a great player in her own right, but definitely when you consider that she was the only person in the final not voted out at some point (also neither Cartoon Scarecrow or Comic Bean won their way back - their partners swapped). !<

All Stars
>!Classic Amy, Cartoon Scarecrow, and Ani-Nami have the most potential. I would definitely want to pull at least one of the Amy Boom, Classic Scarecrow, and New Wonka alliance folks, as well. This series seems to be getting a lot of great pairs so that could be a potential future returning player theme! !<

Thanks for playing and/or reading. Hope to see you next season (:

We’ve made it 10 seasons so hopefully you can stick with me on this one! Themed Survivor is looking to pit contestants against…themselves. 

Please submit 1 character (it will count as 2 submissions) who exists in multiple forms of media, such as a book or comic and a movie or television show. You could also submit a character that comes from a movie or show that has been remade. Please make it clear which versions of your character you want me to use (e.g., Michonne from the walking dead; comic and telltale video game versions) 

Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3. ***Make it clear which version should have which stats, if doing this

Update (as of 11 comments): 2 male slots, 1 female slot open.

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/30/r.php?c=g4poZ3JG

Pre-Swap Thoughts: 
>!-Nagarote attends a total of 3 tribal councils. An alliance of Genevieve, James, Russell, and Goldie take out Gwen and Chris. James caught heat early on when he (along with Genevieve) took the idol clue, but survived the close first vote. The move pays off for him since he finds the idol, as well! Goldie is loved by her alliance but is a physical liability, so she is voted off when this tribe loses again. !<
>!-Masaya only attends one tribal, but it’s a good one. Sensing her long term position might not be great, Paris plays an idol on Yusuke which cancels 3 votes and ends with Hayden being voted out. Going into the swap, there’s a Megan-Tiffany duo and a Megan-Owen duo. Paris is hoping her idol move will keep Yusuke loyal to her. !<
>!-Escameca doesn’t see any tribals. The downtime results in a lot of drama and infighting. As Rick and Marcel are often at the center of it, a Danielle, Kenzie, Makoto, and Nicole alliance forms right before the swap. Danielle has the idol so she appears to be the most well positioned in her tribe. !<

Post-Swap Thoughts: 
>!-On New Escameca, original Masaya has the majority with Megan, Owen, Tiffany, and Yusuke. Yusuke, however, successfully flips to the minority (Nicole, Marcel, and Russell) when the rest of his original tribe targets him. Tiffany is sent home 4-3.!<
>!-On new Nagarote, Danielle, Kenzie, Makoto, and Rick have the numbers. Rick was on the outs of his original tribe though, so the Danielle, Kenzie, and Makoto alliance decides to do a split vote on Rick and James (people suspect James has the idol), using Paris and Genevevie to pull a 3-2-2 vote. Genevevie, however, dupes them and flips to vote with Rick and James. The vote is still 3-2-2, but Makoto is taken out. !<

Merge Thoughts: 
>!-The first merge tribe is a crazy 4-4-4 tie then a 4-3-2 revote. I’m honestly not sure how they pull this move off, but Megan, Owen, Paris, and Rick get the credit as they’re the ones on the correct side of the vote. Seems like they knew they’d be able to pull the numbers in the revote since they’re no flipping by anyone. Yusuke was definitely blindsided!!<
>!-Russell is collateral for being aligned with Genevevie and James; 2 people seen as strong players and who the Danielle and Kenzie alliance want revenge against. His people stay loyal to him, but Russell is an easy target and is voted out 8-3. !<
>!-Rick joins the Megan and Owen duo before the next tribal council. This results in him making a big move to flip to save Owen. It ties in the first vote, but Paris flips in the revote and Danielle is out (with the idol in her pocket!) Danielle was targeted because she was seen as the leader of her alliance and the group saw it as their chance to blindside her with the idol. James and Genevevie split here which is interesting. !<
>!-Although he voted with the majority last round, James finds himself the target next round. He’s also voted out with the idol in his pocket! Megan, Owen, and Rick are emerging as a strong trio at this point. In addition to these 3, Genevevie seemed to be a big part of successfully convincing James to not play her idol; she told him she was using her extra vote to ensure he was safe, but she actually did the opposite. !<
>!-The idea of his trio goes to head though when Owen is taken out at the next tribal council! This makes 3 players in a row going out with the idol in their pocket! To be fair, his allies were loyal to him in the first vote, but everyone flipped on him in the revote. Shoutout to Genevevie, Paris, Kenzie, and Nicole for correctly predicting Owen would be too good of a target for the others to not flip on if he didn’t play his idol. !<
>!-The Megan and Rick alliance now includes Genevevie. These 3 group up with Nicole to take out Marcel, a strategic and end game threat, in a 4-3 vote at the next tribal. !<
>!-Nicole doesn’t successfully integrate into this alliance and she’s taken out 4-1-1. I THOUGHT we were about to see another person go out with the idol in their pocket when I saw the first vote for Gen, but she broke the curse (for now!)!<
>!-At the next tribal, Megan wants to flip to Kenzie and Paris to take out Genevevie; Megan’s biggest end game threat. Plan fails when Genevevie plays her idol. Kenzie is taken out by Rick and Gen’s votes. !<
>!-Gen wins final immunity. Megan is seen as the biggest end game threat and just flipped on her allies at the last vote. She’s taken out 3-1. !<

Final Tribal 
>!-All 3 finalists have made some good moves! Paris has her pre-merge idol play and was part of the Yusuke and Owen blindsides. Rick was also in on the merge vote and was the driver of the Danielle blindside. Genevevie gets the most credit for the Makoto and James blindsides. All finalists get their dues, but there is a clear front runner who wins 5-2-1. Congrats to Genevevie! !<

All Stars
>!This was another great season that produced a lot of potential returning players! As I’ve said with other seasons, final All Star selections will come down to many different factors. The first players I’d be looking at first are Genevevie, Rick, Paris, and Megan. Danielle and James are also very strong contenders, with Owen behind those 2 as someone I’d love to see back for a redemption arc. !<

Thanks for playing and/or reading. Hope to see you next season (: 

Perhaps your character is known for flipping tables, competing for a clock from Flavor Flav, or competing in glorified Mario Party challenges for some prize. Themed Survivor 9 is looking for contestants that have already proved their entertainment value on other shows. 

Please submit 1-2 characters from any reality tv show. 

Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3.

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/16/r.php?c=cu6ZDtgL

Pre-Merge Thoughts and Highlights
>!A 10 episode pre-merge is crazy! Anyways, !<
>!- Vanellope, Hercules, and Kanga are a trio that drive the votes on original Airai. There’s a big moment in episode 3 where Vanellope votes outside this group though. She forms a side alliance with Miss Piggy and Thunder Mt. to save Sadness despite her original alliance’s protests. It’s a 5-4 vote but this new group gets their way when Dr. Heinz is voted out. Vanellope must have been convincing to Hercules and Kanga that Sadness would be useful to their alliance, however, because they end up saving Sadness the next episode in a 5-3 vote. !<
>!-Original Malakal doesn’t have any long standing alliances. The B1 vote came down to him versus Luz, with Luz’s superior social game saving her. Roo is the main standpoint early on for winning the first immunity challenges and being on the more visible side at camp after that.  !<
>!-Post swap Airai sees Vanellope and Hercules continue to work together. Along with Sadness and Isabela, they get the numbers advantage to take out Donald and Mabel at their first 2 tribal councils. Hercules starts to separate himself from Vanellope a bit, forming a side deal with Isabela and Sharpay. !<
>!-On post swap Malakal, Small World makes a big move at their first tribal when she flips with the minority to save Thunder Mt. and vote out Luz. Small World’s move forces Roo to switch his vote in the revote. Bowler Hat Guy is an easy target at their next tribal after being on the wrong side of the vote. !<
>!-Airai’s next 2 tribal councils are very interesting. First, Vanellope is targeting Sharpay to keep Hercules loyal to her, while Hercules is targeting Sadness to keep Vanellope loyal to him and his options open. Vanellope wins the battle when Sharpay is voted out. Randall would be the easy target after this BUT he is given immunity! Randall sides with Vanellope and Sadness, resulting in Isabela going out 3-2. !<

Merge Thoughts and Highlights 
>!-Going in we have Vanellope and Hercules looking to reunite with Kanga. Vanellope is also hoping to pull back in Thunder Mt. and Miss Piggy as allies. Miss Piggy and Thunder Mt. are also working with Roo now though. Roo has a second alliance of his own - with the hidden immunity idol he found and has successfully kept under wraps until now. Hannah is unconnected, making her an easy 9-1 vote. !<
>!-The Thunder Mt., Miss Piggy, and Roo alliance comes through in the next episode. Randall knew he was on the bottom of his post swap tribe so he readily jumps in with this group. After some reflection, Sadness is convinced to flip as well. However, they make the move of targeting Small World instead of someone in the main alliance. Roo also wastes his idol (he received 4 of 9 votes though so it was close!)!<
>!-This new group doesn’t stick together so Roo is taken out 4-2-2 (the rest of the cast split on Miss Piggy and Roo as protection) in the next episode. !<
>!-The next round is exciting with a few different people looking to make their move. Thunder Mt., Miss Piggy, Randall, and Sadness are looking to break up the trio (Vanellope, Kanga, and Hercules) before it’s too late. They can’t agree on who to target though - Thunder Mt. wants to go for Hercules and Sadness wants to go for Kanga. The trio is able to exploit this and gain the upper end. When the vote splits, they vote out Miss Piggy in a 3-2-2 vote. !<
>!-The Vanellope, Kanda, and Hercules trio seems to have very strong loyalty to one another as well as very strong mist. They avoid a tie next round by pulling off a 3-2-1 vote that results in Randall going home. He survived much longer than it seemed like he would at many different points!!<
>!-Thunder Mt.’s flip flopping ways catch up to him at 5. He’s voted out 4-1. Before this though, Sadness continues her #growth arc when she finds the idol at exile! She didn’t need it and it was only good for this round, but it’s a great character moment for her. !<

Final
>!- If you’ve read this far you know we’ve got the trio. Kanga and Vanellope have a final 2 deal within this alliance, while Hercules has a side deal with Sadness. It’s been interesting to watch him slowly pull Sadness more to his side when she was firmly with Vanellope before. When Kanga wins immunity, Hercules takes his moment and flips on the girls! Vanellope then goes out after Sadness beats her in the firemaking challenge. Another big character moment for Sadness! !<
>!-Kanga wins final immunity. Despite betraying her last round, Hercules convinces Kanga that Sadness is the bigger threat at final tribal council. Kanga votes Sadness out, leaving us with a final 2 of Kanga and Hercules! At final tribal, Hercules is seen as the more active player and wins the game 5-2. Shout out Kanga for her 4 immunity wins and solid game, but I agree that Hercules deserved the W here! !<

All Stars
>!This is another season where mostly everyone who made the merge has a case to be brought back (shout out to some of our pre-mergers too!). Getting a good balance of seasons, genders, Reddit users, etc. will be big factors in the next All Stars. The first people I’d be looking at are Sadness (10/10 character, basically a lock tbh), Hercules (a top winner), Vanellope (strategic villain whose downfall arc plays out perfectly when Sadness beats her in fire),and  Roo (fun underdog with some standout moments) and Randall (better player underdog that lasted longer, but I think Roo was the better character). Miss Piggy, Kanga, and Thunder Mt. are the next people I’d people looking at. !<

Thanks for playing and/or reading. Hope to see you next season (:

We need some sunshine and fun in our lives after our apocalypse themed season! That is unless your character comes from a movie with dead parents…or is isolated from the society around them…Okay it’s not all great for these characters, but they usually have a happy ending.

Please submit 1-2 characters with a connection to Disney. Movie characters, mascots, theme park rides, etc. - any connection to Disney is fine. 

Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3.

Casting Update (as of 6 comments): 7 male and 5 female slots taken. Looking for 2-3 more men and 4-5 more women.

Returning to a 16 player season felt like a nice homage to Themed Survivor Season 1 which felt appropriate for the next season after our first All Stars (and I’m impatient and that’s what we had for sign ups) 

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/12/r.php?c=hY9cFEjP

Pre-Merge
>!Lucy’s an easy target for the stronger personalities on her original tribe (Effie, Furiosa, and Clark) !<
>!Post swap, the new La Mina tribe sees a majority alliance of Clark, Snow, Peppermint, and Rosita form. They remain loyal to each out for the two tribals they attend pre-merge, allowing them to vote off Imu and Brad without much opposition. Brad being on exile for his new swapped tribe’s first tribal council definitely worked against him! !<
>!Post swap Casaya is more up in the air with no majority alliance forming. In the votes where Octavia and Clementine go out, Dave and Shiver are the only two consistently on the right side of the vote; so I think they were working closely together. Thus, I feel like Dave got somewhat screwed when Shiver is sent to Exile for their last tribal before the merge. I guess regardless Furiosa plays the idol that takes him out though! !<

Post Merge
>!Clark, Peppermint, and Rosita remain strong together. Snow left their alliance at some point, but is still in a partnership alliance with Rosita. Furiosa and Mickey voted together at their last tribal, but it was more of a voting block thing. Furiosa and Marcus are against each other after Marcus voted for her. We also have 2 original tribe alliances hoping to reconnect with each other; Clark and Furiosa, and Laurent and Marcus. !<
>!Laurent and Marcus seem to not hide their alliance well at all. This makes Laurent an easy target for Peppermint, Clark, and Rosita. Clark pulls in Furiosa (day 1 alliance), and the two get Effie to join them as original tribe mates. Shiver also jumps in with this large group in the hopes of finding a new alliance. I’m thinking Snow and Mickey threw 2 votes on Effie in case of an idol situation.!<
>!Mickey and Snow’s move at the merge tribal ends up with them viewed as sneaky players and strategic threats. Furiosa attempts to flip Effie and Marcus to flip with her to vote with Mickey and Snow, but her plan fails. Mickey’s voted out in a 6-2-1 vote (Snow voted for Effie again lol - I think he just doesn’t like her)!<
>!The final 8 is exciting. It plays out with Effie, Shiver, and Marcus making a vote to protect both Shiver and Marcus when they are the two main names out there. They pull off a 3-3-2 vote and Snow sees this as his opening; telling the trio (Clark, Rosita, and Peppermint) that he’s voting Furiosa with them in the revote and one of them needs to flip if they want to avoid rocks. Peppermint does and Furiora is out on the revote. !<
>!The new trio’s (Effie, Shiver, and Marcus) success is short-lived though. Following infighting amongst themselves, Effie is an easy target at the next vote. Only Snow votes with her…what a growth arc for them. Marcus is an easy vote out after that. Again Snow votes with the person going home…going for those jury votes? !<
>!Seems the folks in the same start to view Snow the same way, making him the unanimous vote at 4. This was a big bluff by Shiver and a big mistake by the trio (which is now actually two duos with Peppermint now in one alliance with Clark and one with Rosita) though. That’s because Shiver goes into the final 4 and is able to play her idol after the votes, taking out Clark in the process. Peppermint remains loyal to Rosita when he wins final immunity, voting out Shiver!<

Final Tribal
>!Rosita and Peppermint have both played very strong. Their strategic games are very similar and their moves look mostly the same. A distinguishing move - Peppermint flipping at the final 8 tribal council in the revote - is viewed variably by the jury. Physically, Peppermint is the stronger player with 4 immunity wins to Rosita’s 0. Socially, they’re pretty similar and were close with different people. A 4-3 vote is very fitting and Peppermint makes a great winner for the season. Rosita continues a trend of strong runner up games, as well! !<

All Stars

>!So players that have a case here tbh! Final casting will be dependent on many factors but my top picks would be Peppermint, Shiver, Clark, and Furiosa. Rosita, Snow, and Effie have the most potential after that. Crazy Dave for second chances or a pre-merge returnee theme!!<

Thanks for reading and/or playing! Hope to see you next season (:

Fresh off our first All Stars season, Themed Survivor is looking for a new group of contestants to make their mark on the series. Season seven looking for characters from dystopian/apocalyptic themed media. Perhaps your submissions are known for battling zombies, surviving government-led child fights to the death, living after nuclear war, or some other horrible (but entertaining) situation.

Please submit 1-2 characters with a connection to dystopian and/or apocalyptic themed media. Optional: You can choose your character’s skill ranking (1-5) for one of the following categories: Physical, Endurance, Mental, Social, Temperament, or Strategic. If you do this, one of the other stats (chosen at random by me) will be given the opposite ranking. All other stats will remain a 3.

Casting Update: Going to go with the 16 I have now :)

In season six, Themed Survivor sees 20 past competitors come back to play the game for a second time. They’ve found a total of 13 idols, using them to negate the most votes at tribal a total of 5 times. We have all five past champions returning and the cast has an average placement of 4.6. Who will win this epic showdown? 

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/36/r.php?c=7W3jhh5n

I’m going to give my thoughts about each player, sometimes touching upon relevant happenings from their boot episode…

20th: Keep it Ez (aka EZ). He came into the season with a reputation as an idol-finder (2) who wasn’t afraid to make moves. Despite his big target, he convinced Madonna and Lilith to vote with him, but he’s ultimately voted out 6-3. Always hard to see the first out in an All Stars season and this was no exception! As he was the last person voted out in in season 5 and the first person out in season 6, he’s the only player in the franchise to be voted out back-to-back. 

19th: Eleanor. The series’ original underdog as the last surviving member of her alliance/tribe goes out early when her tribe loses again. She tried to keep the target on the outside Lilith, but was seen as the bigger threat by trio of Phil, Mr. Mosey, and Mayor Tammy (the only alliance on the tribe). She’s voted out 6-2 (Old Man Marley voted with her because he dislikes Lilith. Also, Granny Puckett has been on exile for both of these tribals)

18th: Phil. He ends up swapped without any of his allies. In addition to his original tribe being down in numbers, he’s swapped with a majority alliance from the other tribe. He has little room to maneuver and is voted out 6-1. I think his first game is strong enough and he gets a good enough edit here while being swap screwed, that he could be in contention to be a legacy returnee in the future. 

17th: Sheldon. Naviti loses again and the OG winner falls early following a big idol play by Baby New Year (negating 5 of 8 votes). Sheldon was quiet around camp and hadn’t involved himself in any alliances yet, probably to keep his threat level down. It backfired though and he was still targeted by the minority alliance with no one to protect him. 

16th: Old Man Marley. This makes 3 winners in a row. Old Man Marley tried endeared himself to the majority alliance by voting with them the past two rounds, but never officially declared a side. When the tribe breaks down from a majority to two competing alliances - Helga, Snake, and Barbie versus Gavin, Baby New Year, and Elvis - Old Many Marley is an easy consensus vote. Would have been fun to see him survive and play the middle! 

15th: Mayor Tammy. Following a second tribe swap, Mayor Tammy found herself in a bad position. She almost flipped things onto Elvis with a 3-2 vote, but Jo and Snake (who had a day 1 alliance from their original tribe) ultimately sided with Elvis to vote Mayor Tammy out. I think Snake pushed for that as he had an alliance with Elvis at one point on their swapped tribe, as well. I imagine Mayor Tammy would have a dramatic reaction to her ally Jake incorrectly using the idol on himself instead of her. 

14th: Lilith. She’d been slowly bettering her position after voting on the wrong side at the first tribal, making new connections and strengthening old ones after the swap. She’s in the minority when she’s swapped with Barbie, Winnie, and Helga (part of a day 1 alliance that includes Snake). But, she had an extra vote AND flipped Winnie to form a new majority with them 2 and Mr. Moseby. Barbie and Helga, however, trick her into not playing her extra vote by striking a deal to take out Mr. Moseby instead. Barbie and Helga pull off a 2-2-1 vote then take out Lilith in the revote. Lilith’s exit provides a very exciting tribal. Unfortunately for her, she ends up looking massively played by Barbie and Helga. 

13th: (Mege Boot) Jake. Similar to his first season, the people Jake made inroads with always ended up going home and he was largely on the bottom. This makes him an easy vote when 13 people are scrambling at the merge. He’s also the victim of a new large alliance forming quickly after the merge (Winnie, Snake, Jo, Elvis, Gavin, and Baby New Year - this is more or less Jo, Winnie, and Snake merging with Elvis, Gavin, and Baby New Year)

12th: Mr. Moseby. Taken out in a 4-2 vote after a successful idol play by Granny Puckett negates 6 votes. Pretty devastating for him as an idol play (and failed split vote) took him out in his original season too. He had the connections to go further if not for the idol play. Potential legacy returnee in the future!

11th: Granny Puckett. She avoided tribal all throughout the pre-merge, which is great but stifled her ability to make relationships and alliances. She lacks connections to the people in power and is unable to flip people against Baby New Year. 

10th/9th (split tribal): Elvis. This group finds themselves in a predicament when Madonna wins immunity as Snake, Helga, Elvis, and Winnie are all connected to one another and have been working together. The group decides to go against Helga, but she correctly plays her idol; negating 3 votes against her. 

10th/9th (split tribal): Brandy. She played a relatively quiet game this time around, but it was working for her. She probably could have survived this vote if Baby New Year didn’t pull off an upset immunity victory as he decided to leave his alliances, as well. Barbie also had an immunity idol that she was openly playing as it expired after this tribal. Brandy therefore had nowhere to hide and was voted out 3-2. 

8th: Baby New Year. This was a long time coming for him, but it still hurt! He kinda screwed himself when the stimulator decided he should leave his (now majority) alliances that he was pretty well insulated in. His vote off was still pretty close at 5-3. In my mind, his allies flipped on him because of what an end game threat he was. Future Legacy returning player! 

7th: Madonna. One of our most dominant winners found herself in basically the exact opposite position all game. She had a good social game, but did not vote correctly once post merge (and only did 1 out of 2 times pre-merge). I was surprised the majority alliance didn’t come for her sooner tbh. Looking back, I think some of the bigger targets in the majority kept her around as a shield. 

6th: Gavin. He played much more consistently this time around and was in the majority for essentially the whole game. It took a successful idol play by Snake (on Helga) to take him out. Given that he was one of the lower placing returning players (at 10th), I think he proved that he deserved to be an All Star.  

5th: Barbie. Fifth again for this player who once again delivered with strategic, offensive gameplay. Although she wasn’t officially in the main power structure at the merge, her close alliance with Snake (and Helga) kept her safe and consistently on the right side of the vote. Another legacy returning player in the future I think! 

4th: Winnie. Our last returning winner barely misses making the final tribal again when she loses firemaking (the first time this twist has appeared in this series). Her gameplay here was similar to last time; form close relationships and stay loyal to her allies. She only received one vote all season so I think she would have been a contender if she made it to the final 3. 

3rd: Helga. She came into the season with a reputation as a strong player that I think she lived up to! She was like a cockroach - surviving because of 2 idol plays, winning immunity when needed, and her relationship to Snake. The jury sees her as a secondary player to her allies (Barbie in the pre-merge, Snake in the post merge) which results in her getting 1 vote to win. 

2nd: Snake. He really was that player this season. At multiple points, he was the glue between smaller alliances that came together to form the majority. All the while he was constantly pulling strings behind the scene and working to better his position. Regaining Helga’s trust after voting for at the split tribal was huge as it allowed him to maintain his grip on the tribe and she eventually chose to bring him to the final 3. I think the jury may have been slightly bitter (no offense to our winner or the user who submitted her) for allowing a player who openly calls himself Snake to run the game. Three votes still earns him second place. Legacy returning player. 

1st: Jo! I loved her in season 1 and she was one of the people I was most excited to see back. She was a super effective player this season, getting into the merge group and not receiving a vote against her all game. Her game was strong, but pretty static and I feel she had less options and power throughout the game than Snake. She didn’t need those options though and the jury respected her! She wins with six votes. Potential legacy returning player (definitely winners at war, if that ever happens)

Overall Thoughts: It was fun and exciting seeing my favorites back. We also see some really exciting moments (early scrambling and legends interacting, the Lilith tribal, post merge idol plays) throughout, and some the end game is filled with big characters. That said, early alliances remain strong and one group holds a lot of power throughout the game. I enjoy seasons where alliances switch and there’s more unpredictability, but this was still fun and Jo is a solid addition to the winners circle. 

Thanks for reading and/or playing. Let me know your thoughts on our first All Stars season! Sign-ups for next season will be posted soon (: 

Themed Survivor has seen 96 contestants battle it out…[panning shot showing various contestants competing in challenges, fighting at camp, and casting votes. Slowmo shots include Mayor Tammy (season 4) winning multiple immunities and Gary aka Snake (season 3) casting a vote with a big smile] 

In the process, there’s been friendships and close alliances formed…[panning shot showing contestants hugging, comforting each other, and strategizing. One slowmo shot shows Jo and Eleanor (season 1) working together to get out several of their tribemates. Another shows Madonna and Brandy (season 5) laughing while plotting their next move]

But not everyone has gotten along…[shot of Granny Puckett (season 2) complaining about her tribemates followed up by Jake (season 1) lamenting being on the bottom]

The game requires making big moves…[shot of Mr. Moseby (season 1) mutinying from his tribe and working his way to the top of his new tribe. Followed by a shot of Gavin (season 2) correctly playing an idol. Followed by a shot of Barbie (season 2) flipping in a revote to better her position]

Because to make it to the end and win…[shots of Sheldon (1), Old Man Marley (2), Phil (3), Winnie (4), and Madonna (5) winning]

You have to give this game everything you’ve got! [Camera shots include the following: Lilith (season 3) being idoled out while Helga (season 3) looks upset immediately followed up by a successful idol play by Helga at a different tribal. Baby New Year (season 4) losing various pre-merge challenges and walking into the merge with only one other tribe member. Keep it EZ (season 5) winning a key immunity challenge. Elvis (season 5) laughing about while talking about receiving votes again but still surviving]. 

The 20 contestants coming back for Themed Survivor’s very first All Star season know that and are ready to give you the best season yet. [A panning shot shows each of the 20 contestants standing on the beach and competing in the first challenge of Themed Survivor Season 6: All Stars]

I’m excited to see this season play out! We have 14 different reddit players represented by these 20 contestants. Who are you excited to see back? Who do you think is most likely to build themselves a legacy this season? Who will flop under pressure? Most importantly, who will rise to the top and win this monumental season? Let me know your predictions and thoughts! 

Ps - The 20 returning contestants are those mentioned in the trailer in case that wasn’t clear. Sorry to anyone whose player didn’t make the cut, but hopefully you’ll keep playing and create a returning character in the future. There’s also a few players who didn’t make the cut here who I’d still like to see back in the future, as well, so definitely LMK who those people are for you so I can keep them in mind (:

Season Link: https://brantsteele.com/survivor/34/r.php?c=g1YtYMJy

Pre-Merge Thoughts: 
>!The Selena and Michael boots are pretty straight forward majority votes. 2 separate duos drive the Selena vote; Keep It EZ-Willie and Whitney-Ozzy. The Michael boot is driven by an Elvis-Bryce-Charley trio. Both tribals are important in that they set up Madonna and Brandy being on the outs of the original tribes. !<
>!Clairo sadly gets rocked out due to the no revote rule this season. A potentially lucky break for Keep it EZ and Elvis if anyone would have flipped in the revote. !<
>!Bryce is the victim of the combined tribe tribal. It seems that it was to weaken Elvis’ position and revenge for Brandy. !<
>!Eddie causes some drama and never forms any solid alliances, making him an easy target when his tribe loses.!<
>!After another swap and big idol play by Whitney on Ozzy (cancelling 4 of 7 votes), Charley finds himself out of the game despite the good position he’d gotten himself into.  !<
>!Troy returns from exile in a good position. The Whitney-Ozzy duo pull him and Rylee in with them to form a new majority. Interesting that they excluded Keep it Ez even though he voted with Whitney and Ozzy at the last tribal. Monica is an easy consensus vote when this tribe loses again. !<

Post-Merge Thoughts: 
>!Quinn was more of a loner and it seemed that all the big players came together to target him first as a self-preservation method. !<
>!Cookie going out 5-4-3 was very exciting and the result of a lot of alliance infighting. A new Madonna-Brandy duo pulled the strings here, taking out someone who was pretty insulated and flipping what was supposed to be a slip vote between Elvis and Keep it EZ.!<
>!Whitney, Ozzy, and Willie manage to regain some ground in the next round when they take out Demi in a close 6-5 vote. Keep It Ez and Elvis decide it’s better to keep the 2 sides waging against each other by taking out a middle person like Demi. !<
>!Big idol plays by Keep it Ez (on Willie) and Troy (on himself) results in a no votes tribal council. Because of the no revotes rule, Whitney ends up going out unceremoniously in a rock draw. !<
>!Without his number one ally, Ozzy is an easy target next round. A powerful Madonna-Brady-Elvis voting block has also emerged. Rylee is also in with this alliance but doesn’t vote with the . !<
>!Troy is seen as sneaking, making him an easy vote. !<
>!Willie is almost able to sneak by another round even though he’s lost his allies, flipping Rylee to vote with him and Keep it Ez. Their choose the wrong target though, allowing Madonna, Brandy, and Elvis to use Lindsey to vote off Willie. !<
>!Lindsey is seen as the biggest jury threat left at 6 causing the others to vote her out. !<
>!When Keep it Ez wins immunity at final 5, Rylee’s double crossing and flipping comes back to haunt her when Madonna, Brandy, and Elvis take her out. !<
>!He fails to win immunity again at 4, making Keep it Ez the easy vote for the new trio. I sense he would be a big fallen angel edit! !<

Final Tribal
>!Brandy on the outs of her original tribe to being a power player as the game progressed. She earns herself 2 votes, and ultimately gets to decide the winner when she casts the tiebreaker vote. !<
>!Elvis was like a cockroach in this game, receiving 10 votes and constantly being targeted. He lost his close allies after the swap, but found his footing and people after a few rounds in the merge. He ties it up with 4 votes, but loses in the tiebreaker. !<
>!Madonna a power player who directed a lot of votes post merge. She played a super dominant game while receiving 0 votes all game. Her bond with Brandy earns her the vote she needs to win the game in the tiebreaker. !<

Potential All Stars: 
>!Madonna, Elvis, and Keep It Ez are round 1 picks. Whitney, Ozzy, Willie, and Brandy all have good cases, as well. Charley and Clairo for a pre-merge returning theme! !<

Thanks for playing and/or reading. Hope you enjoyed! I’m looking at the players I’ve got so far and deciding if I have a good All Stars cast. If I feel the cast isn’t quite there yet, expect season 6 sign ups later today (: