- Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:07:17 am
#192
Hot Steaming piles of blog coming straight from the underground. 
Day -02 - Pre-Season Assessment
It's that time again yall, time for the Poodown on the latest crop of newbies im dropping into the world.
Asmat
Dan -I'm so excited about Dan, probably one of the most exciting prospects this season, but that's an unfair statement about our other amazing casting choices that we have. Still, he's pretty awesome. He's everything you would want Dan to be. And to be honest, he's a bit like my dark side which I love. The guy has no filter and is borderline chauvinistic/racist so that's always a plus when casting villains. I just hope he isn't stupid and gets himself booted early with the n00bs, which could border on PC having not spent too much time gaming. I don't know much of his gameplay on his personality and that he absolutely hates Mia and Ashley who also fought me on casting him, which only made me want to cast him more. That makes me hope he finds someone Mia-like and feuds with them all season. Preferably with neither of them going home anytime soon. I am also REALLY hoping he teams up with Joaquin and John Rocker eventually. Could be in for a great season if those two ever meet, and good luck to everyone else if they join forces.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 8
Pre-Season Prediction: 8th Place -
All-star Potential: Villain - 10/10
Alumni Most Like: Vytas
Jenn - I have a really great feeling about Jenn. I think she's going to emerge as a surprise standout this season. I say that because she's someone we haven't focused a great deal on pre-season but rereading her app and seeing her activity around camp, I think she's going to be a force this season. I really could even see her being a frontrunner to win. She's got a bit of a feistiness about her where she borderlines on villain, but I don't think she'll be seen as a villain this season. I could totally see her palling around with the villains though as she appreciates their personalities, such as Dans and the Joaquins of the tribe, but she's got a serious likability in her effortless personality. I think that's going to carry her through the game and it will serve her well when people begin to target the big outspoken villains. Don't get me wrong, i think Jenn will be hilariously outspoken, but the leader of an alliance? probably not. I think Jenn's biggest problem will be coming out of the shadows of the main villain. She will have a great personality and if she can use that to her advantage she will be fine, but it would not shock me if say... she was in an alliance with Dan and Dan won Immunity and she was next in line and got the boot that way. That's the risk she will run by playing second fiddle. I love how she loves sarcasm and hates everyone who doesnt get it, she's going to be a big personality in that sense. Very much looking forward to seeing her play.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 6
Pre-Season Prediction: 7th Place -
All-star Potential: Curmudgeon - 7/10
Alumni Most Like: Courtney Yates
Joaquin - I am kind of iffy on Joaquin. His app talked a huge game and he was one of the most entertaining apps we received this season, but I just haven't been impressed with his willingness to play pre-season. I really hope I'm wrong and my fears are unfounded because his app is great and he CERTAINLY has the potential to be amazing here. I loved everything he said. The one huge benefit for him is that he's a seasoned veterans, now that being said... he hasn't played a game of this caliber (i'm assuming). He said he retired from gaming after winning his last game but wanted something more challenging, well buddy buckle your seatbelt. That said, being an experienced gamer should benefit him tremendously here and he is certainly arrogant enough to back that up. But arrogance can be a great thing in online gaming because you need a certain amount of self esteem to pull off big moves and new players don't have that yet. That's where Joaquin will succeed. If he's as dangerous as he says he is, he could be one of the biggest characters and potentially winners the game has seen. I just haven't seen his dedication yet. But if his résumé is anything to go by, he will do just fine here. I love that he's a frat douche with a "sweet tech gig" lined up and has that arrogance of a pre-college grad that hasn't yet hit the hardships of the real world that could lead to some really entertaining gameplay. I like this guy a lot, I would probably be friends with him IRL, but damn does he come across like a douche who thinks he's cooler than everyone here. And fair enough, he might be, but Stranded's different. I myself am a 26 year old accomplished adult with a solid career, hot fiancé and active social life as do most of stranded's alumni, so I don't know if he's just used to the kidiots in other games, but he might be in for a rude awakening with Stranded. I'm excited about the possibility of seeing him team up with Dan and others who are in for an equal good time. A dream alliance would be Dan - Jenn - Joaquin. I don't know, I'm 50/50 on Joaq but I'll go with what his app promises when ranking below:
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 9
Pre-Season Prediction: 4th Place +
All-star Potential: Mastermind Villain - 7/10
Alumni Most Like: Mookie/Penner
Joe - Joe could go one way and be incredibly lovable and a surprising joy to the series or the opposite way and be a likable footnote of an early boot. With the ruthlessness of players I'm worrying its the latter, but that could play to his benefit if he's a breath of fresh air for these people. Opposites do attract afterall. It all depends on how genuine Joe is. One thing, he's very very young, I think maybe 14 and that could be a bad thing if he can't keep his emotions in check as most teenagers can't. Or, he could be so loveable that people take him under his wing. This is an experiment for me. He's certainly not the youngest person we've ever cast, but we always have to be cautious when we do. The good thing is that he's a very seasoned player who has done the tengaged circuit and knows what he's getting into, that's the main reason we decided to cast him despite the controversy. The other is that he had a big personality and it was different from what we typically see in that he's a likable and happy-go-lucky person. His app says he's chillaxed and easy going, I'm not so sure. I could see the pressure of the game getting to him and him making some pretty wild and spontaneous moves. At least that's what we're hoping for (muahahaha). Brenda's read is one of a huge overplaying trainwreck, I'm hoping she's right here. But never-the-less, I really like him and the personality he brings. I think he'll be one to watch this season and hope he doesnt flame out early.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 4
Pre-Season Prediction: 10th Place +
All-star Potential: Loveable Trainwreck - 6/10
Alumni Most Like: Gabriel
Kelly - We originally had a narrator in Kelly's role, but they never got back to us which made me look at potential apps we might have overlooked. That's when I came across Kelly. I wouldn't say it was a bad app by any stretch, it just lacked any detail. Still, there were some interesting things going on there, for one she's an actor. Which is so interesting to me. Someone who studies personalities and can portray a role, that would be something to see parlayed into online gaming. What strikes me most about her is her pre-game prepping. She's online a LOT and always practicing and reading up. That's the makings of a great Stranded player. She has a confidence about her that's understated, which means she's really smart IMO. A truly smart player wouldn't overestimate themselves and Kelly seems like someone who is very analytic and meticulous with her moves. Really reminding me of Candice. It'll be interesting to see what I think will be a future power-player in their first ever online game. I think Kelly is going to be one to watch out for. I just hope her lack of overt personality doesn't bury her early on with all these huge personalities. I could be completely wrong too, she might have a wonderful personality that we haven't seen. So far though I'm getting calculated quiet mastermind and I'm loving it. I think we're going to be surprised by Kelly. I already have been.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 10
Pre-Season Prediction: Winner
All-star Potential: Strategic Mastermind - 5/10
Alumni Most Like: Ibrehem/Candice
Max - New Max I have a much better read on! I think he's going to be from. I love that he speaks Indonesian and is playing Indonesia. He says he wants to be a trainwreck and cause chaos and not hide in the shadows which is a bit different than his application, that said he told me he is currently playing his first ORG and is about to be voted out, so maybe he saw how that strategy didnt work and wants to just fuck shit up on his second go round. We could be very lucky if this is the case. I love a good last minute surprise addition to the cast and usually they have become some of the biggest characters in stranded history. Let's hope we see a repeat of that and Max owns the fuck out of this season :)
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 7
Pre-Season Prediction: 10th Place
All-star Potential: Trainwreck Mastermind - 10/10
Alumni Most Like: Liliana
Shirin - Oh boy, this one is going to be trouble. She's an incredibly seasoned veteran of tengaged (lol) and someone I get the sense is a bit of a bully there? I think she's super arrogant about it, has played a million games with her friends and dominated a lot of them since she probably knows everyone. This is someone who's coming into stranded with a chip on her shoulder. The only thing is... Stranded won't have all of her buddies in it. She will be alone and that arrogance may not translate with people who aren't used to seeing her. She's going to be entertaining as fuck, if my hunch is right. She's used to starting trouble, she's in love with the character Shirin she's playing so that will be fun to watch. And I can't wait to see her interact with Dan who absolutely loathes Shirin and also loves his character of Dan. Both of which hated eachother on the real show. This is going to be a fun one folks. I'm fearful that Shirin may be too stuck in her tengaged ways and at the first sense of not succeeding here, go crying back to her game and call this type of game stupid because she doesn't have her Skype clique. I'm hoping I'm wrong and we get to see her emerge as a supervillain of Stranded. We shall see though. Definitely one to watch. One of the biggest characters i'm looking forward to see play this season.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 8
Pre-Season Prediction: 9th Place+
All-star Potential: Villain / Trainwreck - 10/10
Alumni Most Like: Teresa / Cassandra
Sierra - This is our legacy player of the season. I LOVE when we get really old school gaming veterans who maybe haven't played in a long time to dust off their hats and come back to work. It's also the biggest compliment to me when they are grateful for the experience and consider the games one of their favorites. It's so rewarding that I go out of my way each season to find one and this season we have another special one. Sierra is returning to gaming and like Candice in Faroe Islands or Kelly/Sugar/Shane last season it's a special moment for me. I love seeing how masterful they play with all their experience, but most importantly how they are almost newbies in a way because they haven't played in so long. It's that mix of new and old and then bringing in new players to mix with them, there's something magical there that only a game with 10 years under its belt and a vast history like Stranded can do. I'm proud of that. It's why watching Sierra will be as much of a joy as watching Candice or the other vets will be. I'm so excited about that. I'm also excited to see how they handle the craziness of the new players and the n00by players. This will be an intersting tribe with trainwrecks, online game veterans, retired veterans, tengagers, teenagers, winners of other series, its going to be an electric group I hope. I think she runs the risk of being boring here, but so did Candice and she was never boring for a second, so I really think watching Sierra manage all the craziness with her calming UTR mastermind demeanor will be fun to watch.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 10
Pre-Season Prediction: 5th Place+
All-star Potential: Mastermind - 10/10
Alumni Most Like: Candice / Penner
So - So has huge potential to be a surprise break-out star. Of course everyone does, that's why we picked them to play, but So is a last minute replacement. And like Kelly I think there's something special about her. She really wants to play and that makes a huge difference. There's something incredibly likable about her. She's a free-spirit and I love that. She has a bit of humor which is an added bonus but is COMPLETELY green to gaming, which actually attracts me to her more in terms of casting. She has a ditziness about her that is endearing, but also something about her I just don't trust. In her app she says she never palyed an ORG, and that she wants to try them. But in her chat, she said she was currently in a BB game... WTF. I don't know, maybe I'm being played and she's sneaking into the season to team up with someone else who applied with her, who knows... but she's an enigma and I kinda like that. If she is lying, then the controversy is even more appealing. I think she could be someone special, or she could just be all talk, either way, we will be watching her closely.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 4
Pre-Season Prediction: 6th Place +
All-star Potential: Likeable Underdog - 7/10
Alumni Most Like: Sugar / Ashley
Yali
Dale - I have a great feeling about Dale. He has surprised me in how prepped and active he has been in the pre-season because he was one of the iffy ones for me. His app was initially ho-hum. The typical UTR "strategist" which is just a fancy word for floater with Scooby Doo potential. zzzzzz But then Kimmi brought to my attention that this poster was actually great. So I read some of his posts and Kimmi was right, this was a really insightful, hilarious poster and that got me excited. So I took a flyer on him and so far I haven't been disappointed at all. Dale could be a sleeper pick here. He's got that Varner attitude of being funny but also really strategic and that's a deadly combination in Survivor. I think Dale might be one to watch and if not, I think he'll bring us a lot more than my initial reading of his app.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 7
Pre-Season Prediction: 7th Place +
All-star Potential: Comic Relief Strategist - 7/10
Alumni Most Like: Varner / Becky
Drew - I can tell Drew is going to be a ton of fun. His app was insane and likely he is too. He actually seems kind of clued in, like he would actually be strategically solid. I don't see him making too crazy of moves, I would love it if he did, but he just seems more like a solid player with a huge personality. I'm excited to see how his personality matches up with a lot of the other players. He's super arrogant and I kind of love that. The one thing that's kind of puzzling me is that he hates bullies and idiots and what not, but if I was reading this app and hadn't read that line, I would have thought he would be one. So either he's a bully with some self-loathing issues or actually he will be a super nice guy who is hilarious and doesn't take the game so seriously. I don't know, I'm completely torn, but either way I do know he will be very fun to watch. I think he will be an absolute standout this season.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 9
Pre-Season Prediction: 6th Place +
All-star Potential: Comic Relief Strategist - 9/10
Alumni Most Like: Penner / Rocky
Jaclyn - Jaclyn, I'm really iffy on. Her app was amazing and every time I talk to her she seems super game and is a pro gamer so to speak, but... the bitch still hasn't logged in. And last season we shitcanned her last minute. Varner had been talking to her and said she would be good for this season, which is the only reason we gave her a second chance here. I hope I'm totally wrong and hse is super active and brings it as hard as her app says she will, but honestly... I'm not getting that. She talks a great game and yet she has not been here to prepare at all. I'm predicting early boot that we wish could've done more. That said, since writing this she has signed on board and does seem to have an amazing personality so here's hoping for the best! I just hope she gives us all of her and we don't get a semi-active disappointment :'( She does seem amazing though.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 5
Pre-Season Prediction: 12th Place -
All-star Potential: Potential, but Early boot - 5/10
Alumni Most Like: Angie / Denise
John Rocker - Oh boy, look out... I was warned against casting John Rocker pre-season because he was controversial and a troll on the forums. However, when I got his application, it was incredible. Not only was he super douchey and HILARIOUS, but he also had a pretty solid take on strategy. It made me think he would make for a legendary ORG player. I'm going to be EXTREMELY disappointed if he goes out early here. I think he has massive potential to be one of those players everyone talks about and NEEDS to cast and I'm honored to be the person to debut him in the online gaming world. He's going to be a star, I can feel it in my waters. I just hope he knows what he signed up for activity-wise, but he seems to understand and i've seen him several times on the forums practicing and reading up. I hope he can make it to the merge and I'm really hoping he can be together with Dan at some point because if those two ever get together... look out. Very excited at this possibility.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 4
Pre-Season Prediction: 10th Place
All-star Potential: Legend - 10/10
Alumni Most Like: Frank
Keith - Keith is a player I was iffy on, but his applciation was stellar. He says above all he wants to have fun while controlling the game. I actually think he might not be anywhere near a mastermind, and I hope I'm wrong, but I do think he will be a fun personality. Which is ultimately why I chose him. I also think that he has more going on and really wants this badly which will do well for him. He's been online practicing a lot leading up to the game which has made me more confident in his abilities. I think he's going to be one of those players that gets into the game and is a bit overwhelmed strategically and will end up just following someone who knows what they are doing a bit more. That said, he's a deep thinker and I think if he's pushed hard enough eh could be a great player. I just don't thik he'll be able to do that in his first game. I think he could come back in a second chance scenario and dominate and I think his personality will be entertaining enough to warrant that second chance.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 6
Pre-Season Prediction: 8th Place
All-star Potential: Nice Guy Sidekick - 6/10
Alumni Most Like: Cochran
Missy - I'm really excited about Missy. Ive been waiting patiently for this player to mature a bit before throwing them into the lions den and I really think now is the right time. I hope we get some explosiveness when shit hits the fan, but I actually think we're going to see a nicer side and a more strategic side in the beginning which will bode well for them. I can see them being down in numbers and that's when the craziness will begin and I'm all aboard for that. I don't know if this is better in my head than it will be in execution, that's my fear. I'm hoping quite the opposite that my fears are unfounded and Missy will deliver in spades. I hope so because Missy is one of my favorite iconic hags with her crippled ass fighting everyone protecting her daughter. Let's hope that this Missy can tap into some of that and own.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 7
Pre-Season Prediction: 7th Place
All-star Potential: Lowkey Trainwreck - 9/10
Alumni Most Like: Liliana
Nadiya - I am so fucking excited about Nadiya I can't even. She's a diamond in the rough, someone that no one has heard of and I think is about to make a big splash in the ORG world. I'm privileged to facilitate that splash with Stranded 27. If she's anything like her previous performance, she will dominate the game with an iron fist, piss off anyone who opposes her and slay all the challenges like a queen. I'm thinking she might have learned a little bit of humulity since her last time out which would just make her the ultimate player. I'm going to be THOROUGHLY disappointed if we don't see her kill it here and I will give her another opportunity if something weird happens and she's an early boot. Because I believe that strongly in her ability. I'm hoping luck is on her side and we get to see everything she has to offer because it's truly special.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 10
Pre-Season Prediction: 4th Place
All-star Potential: Mastermind Control Freak - 10/10
Alumni Most Like: Teresa / Sophie
Reed - Reed was one of the new applicants I was most excited about. When I read the app I was instantly taken aback by his honesty and his story. It was certainly one of the most unique applications I've ever gotten, someone from Malaysia who has been through abuse and used Survivor as a coping mechanism. I thought it was brilliant. Like my very own Tai ^_^ I think Reed is going to be a special player. I don't think he'll be a strategic mastermind, I don't think he'll be an over the top drama starter, I think he'll be a super likable player that we genuinely root for to win. And in a lot of ways those are a lot harder to come by than the crazy assholes who just piss everyone off. It's just more rare to find a genuinely loveable player and I think that's Reed. Now he does have a sneaky side which is hilarious, but we'll see what happens. Either way even if he ends up flopping, i'm okay taking that risk because it's something different and he brings something completely unique to the table. Very excited to see how he does.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 8
Pre-Season Prediction: 8th Place
All-star Potential: Loveable Sidekick - 7/10
Alumni Most Like: Ethan / Angie
Val - I was really worried about Val's activity level, but she seems to have gotten it together a bit and i'm really glad for that because her app was absolutely one of my favorites. First off, it was the only app to make me audibly laugh out loud, so that's something. I think Val could end up taking this game by storm and no one would see it coming. I would love for that to happen. If nothing else, maybe just the comic relief? Beyond that she mentioned she's exactly like Cirie and her sense of humor is amazing. I think she could end up being the breakout star of the season. Obviously I think that of everyone or I wouldn'tve picked them, but Val's app was truly hilarious and she walks the walk, I just hope that translates to online gaming.
Pre-Season Power Ranking: 8
Pre-Season Prediction: 5th Place
All-star Potential: Comic Relief - 9/10
Alumni Most Like: Ralph