'Survivor 46' Players Give Their First Impressions on the Competition
'Survivor 46' castaways participate in a challenge during the premiere episode
When I talk with the new players of Survivor 46, they've been in Fiji undergoing the pregame process for a few days. During said process, the soon-to-be-castaways go about their business in Fiji, enjoying one last taste of necessities before they become luxuries as they're thrown into the wilderness.
What's interesting, though, is that they're not alone. Indeed, the pregame has all of the players occupying the same space before the game begins, and they're shuffled up into tribes to begin an adventure of a lifetime. They're forbidden from communicating with each other to let that official initial moment of connection happen on camera when things start up. But, being around all these people, realizing that they all serve as eventual obstacles to your dream of $1 million, you're bound to gather some first impressions.
That's exactly what I asked the Survivor 46 players when I visited the set of the Emmy-winning reality show last spring. Temporarily free of their shackles of silence, they talked at length with me about the vibes, both good and bad, they were picking up from the players around them. Some are making judgments based on body language, facial reactions, and energy. Others are observing how others interact with the people around them in nonverbal gestures. On one occasion, a player had an unintentional taste of home when they found another person resembled their sister (to the point that the two were actually mixed up by the hotel staff).
In the effort of full disclosure, I did speak with more than 18 people when I was in Fiji. As is typically the case with Survivor seasons, there were two alternates on set in the preseason just in case someone was not able to make the final cast. We've seen this rare scenario happen as recently as Survivor 45, where eventual runner-up Austin Li Coon was an alternate who was only officially put on the cast a couple of days before the season started. I mention this only because the male alternate for Survivor 46 was on the minds of a lot of this season's players. Because he did not ultimately make the cast, I chose to remove mentions of him in this article, instead focusing only on the opinions about these 18 players. However, you can still find out what people had to say about him in the individual castaway interviews I have posted.
Take a look at the video and transcription below to hear the Survivor 46 castaways give their first impressions on the other players. Survivor 46 premieres on February 28 with a two-hour premiere on CBS.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 46
Ben Katzman: Everybody's been asking me what's my thoughts on the competition. And I think a 25 or a 20-year-old me would have all these judgments and assumptions made. But I saw some person reading a book on astrophysics or whatever. And I'm like, "They don't look like a physicist." Somebody else is playing a Game Boy, myself included. I can't read the surface-level vibe. And I know there's part of me that wants to. But I'm also reminding myself that you can't judge a book by its cover. And I don't want to go into this game with any assumptions or expectations. Because I feel like when you set up those kinds of things in life, you get knocked down, and hopefully, you get up again. And then you get knocked down again. [Laughs.]
Bhanu Gopal: Everyone seems to be pretty studious here. Everyone's into deep, deep thoughts. Particularly this group, everyone's so young. I feel like maybe high school to still in undergrad. 18 to maybe 22. And everyone's a deep thinker. This generation of kids, I'm telling you, they're super smart. They're gonna outwit, outplay, outlast.
Charlie Davis: I mean, so many people are just giving off really fun and magnetic energy. Even though people can't talk, you can feel the charisma, especially from certain people. They just ooze it. So there's this one, kind of taller [guy]. He looks almost Norwegian to me. He's like Scandinavian, kinda like a Viking. And he's just got a big presence. When he walks in the room, big smile. Pretty athletic, imposing guy, arms twice the size of mine. So he's one. There's this one woman. She's a Black woman with braids, and she has some tattoos on her legs. And she's just such good energy and good vibes—just a beautiful soul. But then, at the same time, I see her doing little puzzle books. I know she's very smart. And she's probably got an incredible mind for the game. Lot of dangerous players out here.
[With any negative impressions], I don't know; it's hard to say. I'm really trying to tell myself, "Don't let one of your impressions early on get in the way of you making an alliance." I'm trying not to let those run too far. Because it's like, "Oh, someone didn't pass me a fork when we were in the dinner line." I'm not gonna be like, "You're first out." [Laughs.] We'll see when the game starts more who I click with and who I don't.
David Jelinsky: There is an Indian guy who has a short ponytail up top. This guy has been reading books about Gandhi, so I know he's very peaceful. I'm not gonna say people aren't out here to win the title of Sole Survivor. But he's out here for himself. He's out here for the journey. If he's out on my beach on my tribe, he is malleable. He's someone that I can easily work with. There's [also] this jacked football player. I know he plays football because I was watching him at the airport, [and] on his backpack, it says "Ole Miss Football." So he's strong, first of all. I'm super tall, but look at me. We're the same, Mike. We're scrawny. We're not lifting blocks, man. So if I have someone who's like James from Micronesia, someone who's keeping the tribes strong. If I find a number one ally, and we're gonna stick with him, I would love for him to be on my tribe.
Not-so-good vibes are the people that remind me of myself the most. Because I know I'm the biggest threat out here. I promise you. Everybody [reading this], comment down below right now your winner pick. Because if it's not Jelinsky, we're going to block it. I am the person winning this game. I promise you that.
Hunter McKnight: Well, there's a guy with a Mississippi tattoo on his arm. There's never been a guy from Mississippi play, and it looks like there's gonna be two on this. So I'm like, "We've got to work together!" He had he had an Ole Miss backpack on. I was like, "Okay, he could play for Ole Miss." But then he had the tattoo on his arm. But there's no way [he's on my tribe]. Because, if I was to pick, I guess he's the other big guy. There's no way we're on the same tribe. And so I was like, "I gotta hope he survives so I can work with him!" But yeah, I would love to have that. And I think if I can sell the "I just need somebody to help me with his strategy, and let me help you with the challenges, then we can maybe work together" and I can get that perception out there.
I want to be the J.T. in the J.T. and Stephen. I want to bring the Mississippi to the end and just have a better shot at him. Not that again. If QB–I think those are his initials–is getting a lot of love, it's time to go. I'm sorry, but you gotta go. And what's nice is if that's the perception, then lots of people will be on board for that. And so it's an easy out, then. But if I'm the one on the lead, then I really got to hold tight to the Mississippi boy so that we can stick together. But he may not even have that desire at all to stick together.
There's a girl who kind of looks like a younger version of Natalie. And it's so weird, like, how do you get good vibes? But you do. She seems to find things that are funny, similar to what I do. The girl with red hair and tattoos, she seems pretty cool. I like the vibe she's given off. There was one girl that I wasn't quite sure about. I feel bad talking about her. But it was only because she had sweatpants on that were *NSYNC. And I'm not sure of all the *NSYNC stuff. But it said, "No man, no cares." And I'm like, "Well, I'm a man." [Laughs.]
I don't know if I like that. Does that mean you don't want the man? So I was like, "I don't know about you!" So, I'm keeping an eye on her. But then I realized she's the only other left-handed person I've seen. So I'm like, "Maybe I can overlook the differences." We get to the beach, and I gotta find something to connect with you on. There's a guy with a Team USA bag, which is a weird flex. You couldn't pack something else? So we just have to know you're really good at something? [Laughs.] On a global level, you really are obviously good at something. We just have to guess what it is. So it's weird, that's threatening. That's the kind of people I need there. Because when the open season starts, now there's a college athlete here. There's Team USA over there. Let's not look at Hunter. [Laughs.]
Jemila "Jem" Hussain-Adams: I have my eyes on a few people that I think would jive really well. In my notebook, I penciled in, "Best friends forever?" [Laughs.] I am that psychotic person that's like, "Okay, this will be my friend." But again, we have to make sure that that person is on my tribe. And there are a few people that have been a little standoffish, who are just, you know, like very neutral facial expressions.
One of them has red hair, lots of tattoos. Love her. And then there's this guy, he looks like Thor. You might see him. And then there's this other girl with a colorful top and long braids. Those are the people that's been giving me really good vibes; we can really vibe with each other. And then there are a few people that are just like blank facial expressions. I think it's just because they don't want to give off too much. And that's probably their gameplay, but we'll see.
Jessica "Jess" Chong: I have my eyes on a few people that I think would jive really well. In my notebook, I penciled in, "Best friends forever?" [Laughs.] I am that psychotic person that's like, "Okay, this will be my friend." But again, we have to make sure that that person is on my tribe. And there are a few people that have been a little standoffish, who are just, you know, like very neutral facial expressions.
Kenzie Petty: The girl with the curly red hair. She's cute. I just like her hair. [Laughs.] Everyone's hair is actually in pretty good shape. We are a beautiful cast. Everyone is hot. So I'm like, "Cool, fitting right in."
[With any negative impressions], I'm really trying to not invest my energy in that thought. Because I know people are nervous. I'm just trying not to place judgment. But if I was, here's the tea. The woman who's older with the dark hair has not smiled at me one time. Not once. And I've tried. I've tried. So I'm hoping she's just missing her kids or something. I don't know. And then there's one guy with a shaved head who's tan. Not a smiler. And I value that in a person. [Laughs.] We're not just smiling because Jeff Probst walked by? That's [expletive] weird.
Liz Wilcox: There's one girl. She reminds me of my best friend. She's got braids, really dark skin. And she is going to be my silly shield. I already got a silly shield if she is on my tribe because she seems even more rambunctious and friendly. I caught her vibe very quickly. But then I realized other people were catching her vibe. And I was like, "Oh, wait, this is a situation where I wanted to be her friend. But now I need to keep my enemy closer." Because, honestly, I think she's the one to beat.
[With any negative impressions], there are a few people that I just haven't been able to read. That have been, in a good way, head down, listening to their little music on their tape player or whatever. And I just can't get a read on them. So, honestly, those are the people I kind of want to go to first. Interacting with them, I think I'll be able to get a good read. There's a guy. He's got two earrings. And a little bit of a Jerry Seinfeld mullet. He is rocking it better than me, honestly. And I can't get a read on him. But he just seems really focused. And going back to what I said about having an ally who is concentrated and doesn't self-sabotage, I feel like that guy might be it. I just have to get a read to know for sure. Honestly, that's what's so hard. There's no one that I'm like, "Oh, I don't like you." There's no one like that. I think it's gonna be a great cast. Really fun.
Maria Shrime Gonzalez: There's a guy that's got a beard, scruffy beard, maybe late 20s, early 30s like most people out here. I get a good vibe from him. He definitely makes good eye contact. He has a very animated face. I like him. There's another woman, she's taller than I am, braids. She's got a nose ring. And she looks super strong. And I admire strength in a woman. And so I feel like if she were on my tribe, I would go for her first. Then, there are a couple of other women that I have noticed. The ones that make eye contact with you. It's the ones that look like they're engaged. Those are the ones that I'd like to get to know.
[With any negative impressions], I would say that, in general, the ones that are not making eye contact. There are two or three that just don't make eye contact. Like, what are we even doing? We should be sort of sending each other signals with our eyes.
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 46
Moriah Gaynor: I have a few picked out. There are a few different people that seem like a really good person, similar temperament. Maybe I see them reading; maybe I don't. It's fine. I'm also looking for maybe people who won't be initially paired together. So maybe a little bit more covert. The one that's kind of the big question mark is there's a woman on here who I swear looks like my older sister. It's like a doppelganger. It is scary. So far, everyone in the hotel has gotten us mixed up at least one. Someone has handed me her meal before. The best way to describe her is she has the hair and the glasses, except her glasses are rainbow. It also [doesn't] help with the first day [when] we were both wearing a backward ball cap. [Laughs.]
I'm hoping the tribe doesn't look at us and say, "There can only be one." Because, if that's the way it'd be, it's gonna be me. [Laughs.] But I think if I do end up working with her, it all depends on personality. I haven't heard her say a single word here. So I think if there is something there, it would be more covert. Because people would look at us and expect us to work together. They're gonna be looking for that.
[I have negative impressions.] I'm a judgy bitch, I know. [Laughs.] There's one or two people who I'm like, "I don't see you as maybe someone who's really gonna give it your all." And truly, you should always keep your eye on the horizon. But the first part of the game is a group game. The group will determine your fate moreso than the individual. So I can see them maybe playing an individual game a little bit too early or too eager. And, to me, that's a red flag on a tribe member. That's a red flag on an alliance member. That's a red flag on anyone on the beach. There's one woman, absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. I don't know if her and I might necessarily get along.
Q Burdette: I'm getting a couple smiles, a couple of winks. I don't know if it's from the ladies or the guys; I won't say. But what I will say is I'm picking up on cues within this group. I know who eats first every time a meal is served. I know who sleeps in their spare time. I know who has to snack. I know all those sorts of things. I woke up yesterday, and I saw two young ladies that had flowers in their hair. I haven't seen these flowers anywhere else. All of a sudden, they got flowers. And I told myself, "If I wake up today, and someone else has a flower outside of these two girls, I might be in trouble." Well, a new girl had a flower this morning. So I think they're sharing flowers. So there's some talking going on.
I think–I'm not 100% sure. But I think we have another guy here from Mississippi. Because on his hat, it says FC. On his pants, it says FC with a cougar-type thing in Mississippi. That's Farewell Christian. So, he might be from Mississippi. And if that's true…[Laughs.] that's all I need, baby. Us Mississippi folks, we stick together now. We're gonna stick together. And as long as he understands that we're in it together, I'll lose to him. But I need him to understand that he has to lose to me, too. And he's a physical threat. So we might clique up, and we might run the game from start to finish.
Randen Montalvo: I can tell you that there are already two survivors that I've seen that really want to talk to me. I can tell. They're always looking at me. They're always watching what I'm doing. They're studying me, because they know that I can talk. That's a gift and a curse. Remember, I told you I'm not the oldest; I'm not the youngest. I know that already. I can tell, just because of the vibes. I'm just purely Randen speaking, being honest with you. There's one person here who I'm going to struggle the most with.
She's a beautiful, mature woman. And I have a feeling that she's been around in terms of understanding personalities. And I have a feeling I'm going to have to get her out immediately. She wants to connect with, I think, some of the females. And I see the effort there. I see certain nuances in looks. She won't make eye contact with me at all. I noticed that. I actually tip my hat off to her because I respect it. So she's going to be hard.
There's another player, another female, that I think is not making eye contact with anybody. She's hardcore. It's not hardcore because of no eye contact. You can tell that she knows what she wants in this game. The others are trying to be nice in the beginning. Now, that can change. But, remember, I told you if I can't build a relationship, I'm going to lose. I have to build a relationship where it matters. So it's either I get her out, because I could not do it. When I go into the game immediately, if I can't build a relationship with her, I want her out. Because she's gonna go where she feels welcome.
There's another dude. He's very tall. He's the tallest of the bunch. So you can't miss him. I can tell he was a swimmer or he does something in the water because he's always wearing water gear. He looks like a swimmer. I used to swim. Something about him is very out there in terms of the water, And he's always looking at me like he's trying to give me a thumbs up. And I can tell either A, he wants to work, he wants to cook, or he's pandering. I don't know. This is a tough one.
Related: Jeff Probst Explains How 90-Minute Episodes Will Be Used in 'Survivor 46'
Soda Thompson: I'm a vibe person. My "Sodar" is always looking for things that are going on. My "Sodar" has antennae. My feelers go out, and I'm like, "What is that I smell? Oh, you flipped your hair a certain way. You looked at me with a little side smile. Love it. We're gonna do that again later. We did it three times? [Claps hands.] Perfect." There's [this one], she's so beautiful. She was wearing orange pants and a cute little white top. I vibe her so hard. We are always smiling at each other, which is really hard because we're really not supposed to be letting each other in too much. But I would totally align with her.
Who else was I really feeling? There's this chick who's dressed so wildly. She came in with a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air shirt on the first day. She's got this headband around her head and glasses on and curly red hair, really vibe her. Because the first time I looked at her, she was like…[Grins wildly.] And I was like, "Oh, yeah, you're my people." We have a really hard time with poker faces, but we have to bring it in.
And then there's this Black guy. I can say that because I'm Black. He's got blonde braids. He's amazing-looking. He is so giggly. His skin is like porcelain. And he's just bumping, listening to his own music in his head. I want to know what you're listening to. I need to know that. So yeah, these are people I'm sussing out. And I think everyone's just so beautiful. I just want to go, "Oh my God, you look so great. Oh my God, tell me where you're from. Tell me about your whole life." So I'm ready to do that.
Tevin Davis: I honestly am picking up good vibes from almost everyone. I think everyone is excited to be here. I think everyone is enthusiastic. And I think everyone is ready to play this game authentically as themselves. Naturally, my eye kind of gravitates towards people that look like me. And I'm like, "Do we share something?" We clearly do. But do we share more past that? And that is curiosity spiking in me to be like, "Huh, I wonder." I just get good vibes.
There's one girl here. I call her "Little Shambo." She has this headband wrapped around her head. And that's the only reason she reminds me of Shambo. And I get really good vibes from her. And I don't know what it is. Sometimes, it is just a feeling you have. I get good vibes from Shambo. And then I get many other vibes from others, and I'm like, "Ooh, you might be sneaky."
Tiffany Nicole Ervin: There's a guy, kind of tall, athletic-looking, dark skin. Just something about him just feels like he's a competitor. Something about him feels like he's not going down without a fight. He looks like a freaking action figure. If I'm going to war, I want him next to me.
Tim Spicer: Anybody who smiled at me more than three times, good vibes. Some people have left their glasses or something that's theirs, and I've given it back to them. I've gotten a good vibe just from reminding them of what that is. I think it's two other Black guys out here. I'm getting a good vibe from them. I want to be able to represent something bigger than me if we're going to be on national TV.
People are reading. Honestly, Mike, I think that [expletive] is fluff. Like you're showing your hand. I know they say, "Occupy your time". But I know now the five people who are going to be a beast at puzzles. So either you're gonna be on my side, or I'm gonna make sure I know who to watch out for. Because you've been reading puzzles since we left LA. And the reading thing is like, bro, if you don't know it by now, you're not going to get it in the next couple of days. I don't read in front of people out here. I read in my in my silo. I read about emotional intelligence. I read How to Win Friends and Influence People. I keep that information to myself, and I can execute when I get out there.
Venus Vafa: There's one guy in particular. I wrote [him] in my notes as "Honest Abe." He looks like Abraham Lincoln. I swear to God, I've seen him on my pennies. I feel like I could trust him. So definitely looking to be my number one. I am not going to describe them. [With any negative impressions], I feel like some people have that resting bitchface. I have the same thing, so I don't want to judge preemptively. But there are a few people who, when I smile at them, they don't smile back. And that just rubs me the wrong way.
Next, find out the Survivor 46 players' most controversial hot takes.
