Jeff Varner has great potential to win the game on CBS's Survivor: Cambodia.

Jeff was one of 20 players voted by America to return for a second chance to play Survivor. The Australian Outback veteran is returning to Survivor 14 years later and while the show has changed quite significantly since then, he has still kept up with it.

Before his big return in Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance, let's take a look back at his stint on Survivor: The Australian Outback.

In his original season, Jeff was akin to Richard Hatch in that he knew about the importance of strategy over all else, at a time when this was frowned upon by most of America. He formed bonds with his Kucha tribe, and proved to be observant and snarky in his confessionals. Most of the best Jeff moments involved him making comments about his tribemates, such as Mike Skupin's over-the-top positivity and Kimmi Kappenberg's talkative nature.

Jeff helped lead Kucha to several victories in the pre-merge and could have been a big contender to win if it weren't for other circumstances. Jeff helped orchestrate the Kimmi elimination after he helped facilitate the big chicken fight between Kimmi and Alicia Calaway. But when Mike fell in the fire and had to be evacuated from the game, Kucha's confidence was shaken.

Going into the merge with five against the Ogakor tribe's five, the votes were tied at the merge Tribal Council. But considering the tiebreaker was that the person with the most previous votes would go home, Jeff became the merge boot. This is due to Kimmi apparently telling Ogakor's Tina Wesson that Jeff received a vote at a previous Tribal Council, which led to the Ogakor tribe using this information against the Kucha tribe.

Now, heading into Cambodia, very few modern Survivor fans will remember Jeff's gameplay. He was a great strategic and social player, especially for his time, but he does not have the overall reception of being a big threat nowadays. This will only help him in Cambodia.

Jeff has a good head on his shoulders and he has continued to follow the show over the years. With the introduction of tribe swaps, Hidden Immunity Idols, splitting votes, Final 3's and more, Jeff knows what he is getting himself into. Considering his charisma and general likability, he should have no problem getting into an alliance early on. The only thing that could be against him is the physical factor. He was a solid challenge competitor in The Australian Outback, at the age of 34, but he is 49 now. He could be targeted for being a (potentially) weaker member of his tribe.

However, we think Jeff will be able to get through the pre-merge with ease, especially with so many huge threats already in the game. Considering his bond with Alicia, he may form an alliance with stronger women like Tasha Fox or Peih-Gee Law or even Kass McQuillen, who will act as shields for him. If he gets on the right side of the numbers after the merge, he could get all the way to the end and be making a case for himself at Final Tribal Council. Jeff clearly knows how to play the game and sell himself with likability, so he has a very good shot of winning.

Cambodia Prediction: Jeff will form a tight alliance with a core group of people and stay loyal to them through the merge. From there, he may betray them and do what he has to do in order to get further in the game. Jeff has the strategic and social ability to make it to the endgame, and we think he will. In fact, we think he'll bring his core group to the end and ultimately be rewarded with a million dollar check.

We predict: Winner.

Previous Cast Assessments:

Kelly Wiglesworth (Borneo)
Kimmi Kappenberg (The Australian Outback)
Peih-Gee Law (China)
Monica Padilla (Samoa)
Abi-Maria Gomes (Philippines)
Ciera Eastin (Blood vs. Water)
Tasha Fox (Cagayan)
Kass McQuillen (Cagayan)
Kelley Wentworth (San Juan del Sur)
Shirin Oskooi (Worlds Apart)

Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance premieres Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Tags
Survivor, Reality TV, CBS