'Survivor: Second Chance' News: Will Kelley Wentworth Or Monica Padilla Continue Young Female Winner Trend?
Will Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance continue the trend of all star seasons being won by a young female?
Who's Getting 'Caught' Sending Secret Message On Next 'Survivor'?
We are now two episodes into Survivor: Cambodia and it's already shaping up to be a cutthroat, intense season. Huge strategic players Vytas Baskauskas and Shirin Oskooi have already been voted out, suggesting there's nowhere to hide for big threats.
As the players continue to be whittled down, will there be a continuation of one famous trend among superfans? It is relatively well known in the Survivor fan community that female players who were more under the radar in their original seasons tend to do very well in returning player seasons. Amber Brkich, one of the least known (if not the least known) contestants on Survivor: All Stars went on to win that season, beating out noteworthy favorites like Rupert Boneham, Richard Hatch and Colby Donaldson.
In Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, some of the more questionable all star choices like Candice Cody (née Woodcock) and Danielle DiLorenzo made it deep into the game. Sandra Diaz-Twine, who was one of the relatively lesser known Survivor winners at the time, went on to win for a second time. While she was outspoken in Heroes vs. Villains, she also played a quieter game compared to the season's bigger egos.
Even in Survivor: Micronesia, which was a half-returning player season, Parvati Shallow was not a well known "favorite" going in but she blossomed and turned into one of the most beloved (or at least well known) Survivor winners yet.
As for the current game, we have two prime contenders who could follow this trend: Kelley Wentworth and Monica Padilla. Both women were mostly sidelined in the editing room through their respective runs on their seasons, but they also had clear potential.
After two episodes, it's looking like Kelley could blossom into a contender, especially given the positive, strong edit she's received so far. She has found a Hidden Immunity Idol and has successfully maneuvered her way through the fluid Ta Keo tribe dynamic.
Monica, on the other hand, will need a big increase in screen time to be taken seriously as a winner contender. She has been the most invisible player this season through two episodes, an edit not dissimilar from her original season, Survivor: Samoa. Then again, Monica's Samoa castmate Natalie White received a very small edit in the first few episodes and she went on to win.
Right now, Kelley looks like she is in this for the long haul. As far as winner potential she feels like a top contender at this point. At the very least, we can assume she's making it to the merge.
Monica is in a more precarious situation since she's not being set up for a longterm story arc. We will see how things go in episode 3 before making a call on her winner potential.
Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
