Round 0

Guatuso
Ami-Brightside
I have heard of Brightside, but never seen him in action. By his app I am expecting a solid and level-headed player. A more mature gamer if you will. I have seen elsewhere more old-school players get hurt by the pace and cut-throatness of the newer generation, and that's the only place I forsee any troubles for Ami. Banker for the merge, and likely will play a big role on Guatuso.


Brook-The Doctor
The Doctor is AusStranded Parvati I think? Brook could be the perfect anti-thesis to Ami's predicted loyal and slower paced game. Could we see a power struggle between these two? Hopefully I'd love to see him fall into a more villainous role but he mixes it up per game so who knows? He certainly comes from good stock and will near-certainly go far.


Chad-nic2200
IDK Chad from Adam. His app is a little conflicting in that he seems to both want to be a hero and a villain so I don't know what to expect for sure. If he can deliver on his promise I'm sure he'll just fine.


Chris-Justincorporated
Justin's is my favourite app of any. Maybe part of that is that Chris is my personal favourite winner but he just oozes potential. I hope he brings the CPN qualities that the character deserves. I can't see him winning, but if he can just do Chris justice that is well more than enough more me.


Dolly-AluminiumSeiren
Okay Dolly I just know everyone is going to love in advance. Yes she is a newer player but Blueberry allowed me to 'superlurk' on one of the two games AS has played, and she was very much a host favourite from the start right through her short run in the game, with just an adorable and hilarious board presence, and a confessional that quickly became the go-to thread of the board. Kooky sweetheart Dolly is a perfect fit for her. Hopefully the more straightforward Survivor dynamic will allow her last a little longer than she has done in the hybrids she played elsewhere.


John-Waka
Waka I do know quite well. HBIC doesn't really suit him but I think he knows this, and will slot into more of a comic-relief/vice-president role behind whichever of Ami or Brook. He seems to still think he is new but is actually very experienced at this stage and might play it a little safe - at least at first till he gets his bearings. idk my edgic too well but I'm expecting a real CPP(?) style game from John. A good challenge contributor, and no doubt will land himself well placed on his tribe. Where I worry for John is once it hits the individual half of the game :/


Julie-oohitsryan
Brand new to me but I'm already in love thanks to that toaster strudel line Flirty & fun, mixed with experience & a willingness to get down and dirty? Oh this girl is totally my type of player. Her and Brook to hook up and dominate with deviousness pls.


Lisa-SpankyHotDog
Here is another I would put into the Ami bracket of old-school player who has been out of it for a while, hopefully they hit the ground running and don't need to blow the cobwebs off :/ From the app she sounds like a hero type, solid & loyal, not overly alpha but would be a solid cog in a bigger alliance. Another one I'd hate to see leave early but as I go through these apps, I've not found anyone who I can call fodder.


Mia-Vocal Fry
The only absolutely brand spanking new to ORGs player on Guatuso, and also the one that promises to be the biggest bitchiest one in the whole game Her tribe needs to win early and often to allow her get her tenterhooks buried in somewhere, or she might suffer for both the above :/ The first person I can see receiving an early boot, but hopefully not - I'd rather see her get a little deeper and spread a little negativity about the place.




Chorotega

Bobby Jon- ???
I will edit this once we have someone lined up.


Caryn-TheOneSurvivor
Caryn has the potential to be our token bitch for the Season if Mia doesn't steal that crown. In fact there seems to be a lot of similarities between the two, only Caryn brings some much-needed experience to Chorotega, whereas Mia is a first timer. She sounds like she's gonna be a slow starter, with her game only ramping up as the overall game goes on. I kinda feel the same way about her app :/ Not overly excited but she has definite potential to grow on me as the Season progresses.


Gregg-Gnarls
I am glad there is very few ORGY/GTSers around because Gnarls is someone with an inimitable style who is pretty instantly IDd easily by most. IDK if the Sucksters can or will do the same? The one time I hosted Gnarls he had some computer issues, and once they struck he seamlessly transformed his playstyle into that of a goat and went on to win, playing possibly *the* best UTR game I've ever witnessed up close. (All the more hilariously, was repping as an actual goat in that game ) Personalitywise people who like funny guys are just going to love his humour but that same trait will rub the more uptight members of the cast the wrong way to the point of wanting him out for it. He will be far from leading this tribe, but should slot nicely into whatever majority alliance is born, and his charm will help him survive the merge whether up or down in numbers. Very likely end-gamer who gets booted for being a Jury threat around the five mark.


Ibrehem-jayjayblue
There is a lot of potential to go a long way playing a middle of the road game here, but also potentially an early boot if he doesn't dive in two-footed. I'm a little lukewarm on the application, but we'll see what he can bring to the table. The enthusiasm is appreciated, but might not be enough to keep him alive for too long. Yes I realise you are a girl, but Ibrehem is a guy so


Jeff-Suppis
Jeff claims to want to play UTR and start off slowly but the rest of his app screams leader-role at me At the very least I can see him falling into the figurehead role with Jolanda really pulling the strings on the tribe. Seems like he will be a positive force too, and ought to offset the negative bitchiness that will be present elsewhere.


Jolanda-ChuckietheDuckie
Chorotega seems to be heavy on the people who are planning to play UTR and a little light on someone to be the HBIC. Hopefully this is where Jolanda slots in. Brings some much needed experience to the tribe. Seems to bring a nice mix of both sneaky and reliability to the tribe and should be one of the biggest movers and shakers here if not the true kingpin.


Kim-sandradanni
Kim fits neatly into the endearing newbie category I hope. There is something charming about the brevity of her app but by the same token, could easily lose her way early for it :/ I'm guessing she will be quiet and shortspoken, so if Chorotega lose more than a handful, and she hasn't made some strong early bonds by that point, she may be in trouble.


Tom-Taterman
The one and only game Tom has to his name is the same one as referred to by Dolly above Small ORG world. It's the same game I didn't really pay all that much attention to but from my little catch-up, Taterman would have won noob of the Season if such a thing existed. Confessionals are deep and detailed and judging by his app, he's an over-thinker. He likes to know where everyone's head is at so he can move around between the potholes. I'm not sold on him yet but we'll see how he comes out of the traps.


Wanda-DangerouslyDry
idek where to start with this guy. He is either going to be a hilarious trainwreck or a not-funny-at-all trainwreck. Either way I'll be watching closely.

As a whole I think it's pretty clear Guatuso are the stronger tribe in theory, experience-wise and probably challenge wise at least. But along with that, they seem to be loaded with the more power-hungry characters as well which will hopefully lead to much more fluid and divisive dynamics. If this equals more vocal players they are going to be fun to watch. I can see a semi power struggle between Ami and Brook easily brewing. With Lisa & John likely to be drawn to Ami, and Julie & Chris likely to be drawn to Brook, that would leave us with a hell of an early battle for the affections of the other three in Chad, Dolly & Mia. It is definitely all up in the air and I could be miles off with those clicks, but there will certainly be groups formed and opposing ones at that, because there are personality types here that just will not click. Hell staving off Tribal Council more often than not could leave them stewing and increase the paranoia tenfold.

If Guatuso seem more likely to stay away from TC then Chorotega by default will be visiting there more often. They do seem to be a far more easy going tribe though, with the exception of Caryn, and they have more players who will slip into the fodder trap, so they can easily take the hits and still get as far as the merge say, with a smaller but stronger and more united unit than Guatuso. That is a long way and a few big conclusion jumps away yet though. I am writing this pre-Bobby Jon too, so a lot can change easily.

Like I said in the individual assessments, I expect the 'leadership' role to fall between Jolanda & Jeff, whether that's visible to most or not, with the likes of Gregg, Tom & Caryn filling out the main core of this tribe. That would leave Ibrehem, Kim & Wanda as the outliers to the main grouping, depending how they play. As always in this game though, it is entirely up to them whether they hit the ground running, or wander off aimlessly and isolate themselves early. We shall see.

Loved the write up!

I agree on most counts. I do think that we will be surprised, though. Last season we thought Asteria was doomed and after the first challenge it appeared that way, but then they whooped up on Helios something fierce so it's always random in stranded.

And too, I think an early swap will be interesting. I think because a lot of the bigger characters/gamers ended up on Guatuso, having them split up and mix with the newer less experienced members of Chorotega will be quite interesting. I casted them based on who matched the characters best, not a fair challenge mix up with the idea that the swap was coming so early it wouldn't matter.