'Survivor' News 2016: Tina Wesson Compares Donald Trump To 3 Famous Castaways [VIDEO]
Survivor: The Australian Outback winner Tina Wesson would not want to go up against presidential hopeful Donald Trump in any arena.
Wesson spoke with the Knoxville News Sentinel on Wednesday and discussed Trump, why she wouldn't want to compete against him, and compared him to three very important figures in Survivor history.
The first was original Survivor winner Richard Hatch: "From a Survivor point of view, Trump is as brilliant as Richard Hatch, who came up with the mandatory 'alliance' strategy."
Then there's notorious player Russell Hantz, who played a notoriously villainous game in all three of his seasons. Wesson said that Trump is "as scary as Russell Hantz - no one knows or can predict what he will do."
She also compared Trump to four-time player Rob Mariano, one of the most popular castaways of all time. Wesson said Trump is "as powerful as Boston Rob - people either fall under his spell or are afraid to go against him."
All three players are well known for their intelligent grasp on the strategy of the game, a trait that seems to be working very well for Trump. The presumptive Republican nominee has become a master of media soundbites since the beginning of his campaign.
"Most importantly," Wesson noted, "he is Trump. He seemingly can't be bought, persuaded or polished, which is what people respect about him. He appears to be an American first and a politician second."
Wesson said that she is "highly competitive" and wouldn't want to play against him in any environment, adding that the difference between her and Trump is the latter's strategy of winning "at any cost."
While Trump's connection to Survivor may seem tenuous to some, they do have one level of overlap: Mark Burnett. The mega-producer was behind the development of both Survivor and The Apprentice, the latter of which was hosted by Trump himself.
Burnett recently discussed Trump's appeal, stating, "people want to hear the unvarnished," adding, "Without a TV show, you are just the editor's headlines, the journalist's take. On TV, you feel you get to know the person. That same style that he showed on 'The Apprentice' seems to be what's working for him now - the ability to speak his mind clearly and not tone down his voice in a politically correct, TV way. It's the kind of brand recognition that would certainly enhance your political career."
