Tony Vlachos, Sarah Lacina and Michele Fitzgerald are the leading candidates to win “Survivor: Winners at War,” as discussed in a new video recap with three Gold Derby superfans. Senior editors Marcus James Dixon and Susan Wloszczyna and contributing writer Kevin Jacobsen are all backing a different horse going into next week’s finale. Marcus thinks Michele, Susan is picking Sarah while Kevin is going with Tony. Who makes the most compelling case? Watch the lively discussion in the video chat above.
Wloszczyna is still backing her favorite, Sarah, because as she puts it, “I think she manipulates her cohorts Ben [Driebergen] and Tony more than they manipulate her. I think she’s the brains behind the operation more than them, but she lets them think that they are.”
SEE ‘Survivor 40’ advantages: Who currently has immunity idols, fire tokens in ‘Winners at War’?
Jacobsen expects the most dominant player of the season, Tony, to take it home in the end. “I think with a cast like this and the jury being what it is, all these winners, I just really think someone like Tony is someone that these winners would feel comfortable losing to,” he says.
Dixon thinks Michele is such a favorite with the jury that she can pull it off: “This jury loves her. It’s the ultimate underdog story.”
While the group is split on their winner picks, all three are expecting the same person to come back from Edge of Extinction: Natalie Anderson. Taking it a step further, Wloszczyna even thinks Natalie could win. “Obviously she’s very popular, obviously she’s very strong and fit,” she notes. “I would think the jury would vote for her because they saw her do all these things.”
SEE ‘Survivor’ 40 episode 13 recap: Who was voted out in 2-hour ‘The Penultimate Step of the War’?
While Dixon admits that in his heart he knows it’s probably Natalie coming back, he is going out on a limb and predicting someone else. “Somebody like Wendell [Holland],” he suggests. “He’s gotten a lot of screen time on the Edge of Extinction and some of these people don’t.”
No matter how the finale ends, it has been another fascinating “Survivor” season with highs and lows. The trio agrees that seeing all the old school players go out early was a downer. One fun moment Jacobsen loved was Adam Klein trying (and failing) to play the fleur-de-lis at Tribal Council. “I know he got a little bit of crap for trying to pull something like that off but it’s a risk worth taking,” Jacobsen observes.
One moment that had the panel split was Denise Stapley voting out the queen, Sandra Diaz-Twine. “Nothing beats Denise taking out Sandra,” Wloszczyna declares, prompting noted Sandra stan Dixon to reply: “Come on, that was the worst moment!”
SEE exclusive predictions: Who will win ‘Survivor’?
Be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs on CBS. You’ll compete to win a spot on our Season 40 leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
