Jeff Probst's Cast Assessment of Survivor 22 Contestants

Jeff Probst: We have something fun happening this season. Kristina: They're not going to know what hit 'em. Rooster: It's always about me. Ashley: Dang. Steve: Ahhhh. Sarita: Game on. Probst: I can feel it. I can feel it for them. Stephanie: We're a good group. Kristina: Really. Watch it. Probst: Sarita is a favorite from the moment I met her and it's just about how she carries herself. She's very confident. She's lived long enough to not be excited about things. Sarita: I've managed through many a divorce, many a move. I can survive with the best of them. Probst: I think she'll last for awhile and if she can get past that merge and really deep into the game, she's going to be a threat to win. Matthew reminds me physically a lot of Fabio who was on last year but he couldn't be more different. Other than the head toss. Matthew: The long blonde hair, people automatically think I'm from California when, nope, I'm from Nashville. Not much surfing going on there. Probst: I like Matthew. He seems to be pretty introspective. But you better watch out. That smile might be a mask hiding a bit of a wolf. Julie Wolfe, I like Julie. She's a firefighter. She's a no BS kind of woman. Julie: I have a personality at work where I have to be hardcore and kind of a ***. Probst: She's got a stocky build that looks like she might have been a bodybuilder at some point and she's got a great enthusiasm. Mike is Captain America, good-looking guy, very nice to talk to. He's definitely a strategy player. What are the rules again, how can I exploit them? This is a game and that's a guy after my heart because that's how I approach Survivor as well. This isn't about friends, this is about a million dollars. Mike could definitely make it far and Mike has the social skills to win. Hopefully Andrea will break the mold that we've had recently of the young, usually blonde, often a pharmaceutical salesperson, who, doesn't really make a big splash but somehow finds her way towards the end. Andrea seems to have something else going on. Andrea: I've been raised on a farm my whole life and hunting since I was 12 and fishing and camping. So I'm actually not too worried about the elements. I think I'm mentally tough and I don't think I'm going to crack. Probst: Phillip is going to be in or out. He's got a line that he plans on laying on his tribe. Phillip: When I got out of the service I became a special agent with the Department of the Defense. Probst: I used to have access to all these secrets. Which is all true. But when you hear it, you kind of go, huh? When he told me he was gonna do it, I said, okay, good luck to ya. The question is going to be, for Phillip, do people buy it. Natalie is so young in life that I'm actually surprised she's on our show. Natalie: I love being the little baby. I feel like I'm the baby at whatever I do. Probst: She impressed us with her gumption. She just kept telling us, don't judge me too quickly. I know I'm young but I've been through some stuff and I know how to dig deep. We liked her and we took a chance. She's a wildcard for us. Steve Wright, I love this guy. I love him not because he's a football player, he's big guy, I like him because he loves Survivor and he's enthusiastic about Survivor. He knows how to pump himself up. Steve: Just the A-type, pow, will come out. Probst: He knows what competition is and I'm guessing he's probably pretty good at social dynamics. I would love to see Steve go deep in the game. Ashley. High hopes for Ashley. She was in the pageant world. Ashley: People don't respect pageant girls. I'm not stupid. I'm a nurse by education. I played basketball professionally overseas. Probst: She's going to be able to help her tribe in challenges. When you're a woman who is attractive and you contribute, your chances for staying around as long as you have men on your tribe, are very high. David Murphy holds the record of the highest IQ, ever, on Survivor. He's a defense attorney for high profile cases in Los Angeles and I asked him, how do you defend somebody that is guilty and he said, I never ask them if they're guilty. The way he answered that question, I think, gives you some insight into how he might play this game. It sounds awful to say it but I'm going to have to bring myself down to their level. Probst: Krista Klumpp is a question mark at this point for me. If she folds it won't surprise me and if she turns out to be this really strong pillar on her tribe, it won't surprise me, either. Krista: I like to kind of prove people wrong sometimes. Probst: Grant, interesting dude. Former football player turned yoga instructor. Very much has that vibe about him. I just don't know which is the real guy. Will the competition side of him that took him through football come out or will the balanced, nurturing, let's all get along yoga side come out? If he is lucky and he can blend the two, a little competitive, a little nurturer, he can do very well. Francesca is this big beaming light of energy. What I like most about Francesca is her mouth. She has got nicknames already for all these people. Francesca: Probably the most entertaining thing about me is that I just like to talk trash about people. Probst: Hopefully she is as spirited on the show as when we met her in casting. Francesca: In the end we'll see who is the last one standing and I think it's going to be me. Probst: Stephanie Valencia, if I'm right, will be one of the first people voted out, if not the first. Stephanie: My mom says I can be rude at times but I don't think I'm being rude. Probst: I hope I'm wrong. If my hunch is right, Stephanie, right now out on the beach in the rain already, hours into this game, is overwhelmed and wishing she was back home having a glass of wine and something to eat. Stephanie: I'm here and my heart's in it and that's all I need to worry about. Probst: Ralph Kiser, hands down, my favorite new Survivor. Ralph: I'll make you laugh your *** off. Probst: I love him the minute he walked him. Ralph: I'll say words that aint properly spoken, you know, supposed to be said right. Probst: He is a hard worker. He's got a girlfriend, he still takes care of his wife. He built a house from scratch. He works a full time job and runs a farm. And he's got hair everywhere. What more do you want from someone on Survivor? Ralph: Enjoy life while it lasts cause you're dead and gone. Have a hell of a good time. Probst: Kristina Kell, another favorite. She's not 21. I think the enthusiasm of someone who's lived for awhile is infectious. Kristina: I told medic, don't you dare pull me out of this thing. Unless my arm gets chopped off and even then if you can like bundle it up... like don't. Probst: I think Kristina is probably going to play a very tough game. If I had to guess I think she might be one of the people who makes some big moves to try to win. Kristina: Mark my words, watch, I'm gonna win. Probst: The thing with Rob and Russell is that for whatever reason they are now icons on our show. If you talk about one of the most evil people that ever played, you'll say Russell. Truth is if you dig a little deeper, he's also one of the most successful. Nobody has had two alliances go all the way to the end like Russell has. So in a weird way, he's extremely loyal as long as you're on the right side. Boston Rob is fascinating in that he started as a villain. He was despised by people and somehow he transformed into a hero. The good news for both Rob and Russell and everybody else is even when you're voted out, you're not out this season. Redemption Island awaits and one of those guys or girls is going to come back into the game. I have a feeling we're going to be talking about this season in high regard when it's over.