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by Jim Van Nest Published: September 4, 2003
 Hello good people and welcome back for the 5th season of Lost and Delirious. As many of you may know, CBS and Mark Burnett recently officially announced the 16 cast members for the 7th season of the reality ratings giant, Survivor. Before I really get into anything, let me say that while my column is fun to write and relatively informative, you really should keep an eye on the official Survivor site at CBS.com. Survivor: Pearl Islands will begin with a 90 minute premiere episode on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 8pm EST/7pm PST.
Before we get to the introductions of the 16 new Survivors, I want to mention that we have been promised many changes in this season's version of Survivor. And it will start with the marooning of the players. Though it hasn't been released how the marooning is different, one thing I have found out is that the survivors are dumped off with no change of clothes and no luxury item for the first time in Survivor history. Essentially, they're left with nothing but the clothes on their back. Also, as mentioned above, each tribe will have their own island, as opposed to separate camps on the same island. They've also promised some new challenges, and is has been rumored for a while that not only will the tribe that wins the challenge reap a reward, the team that loses the challenge will have to pay a price. I can't wait to see how that plays out. Now, all of this is pure rumor at this point and won't be known for sure ,until we all see the show. As I have for the past 3 seasons, I'm listing my odds for each Survivor to win the $1,000,000. A note about these odds: they are merely for fun, so please, folks, no wagering. DRAKE TRIBE Ok, so now it's time for me to lay it on the line and tell you who I foresee making up the jury and eventually winning this game. I see (in no particular order) Burton, Michelle, Shawn, Rupert, Andrew, Lill, Ryan O, Tijuana and Christa making up the jury. I see Trish as making the merge and being the person voted out right before the jury. With that breakdown, I'm predicting a 6-4 Drake advantage. However, I don't think the rest of the votes will go down tribal lines and I see Tijuana and possibly Ryan joining forces with some Drake members to form the power alliance in the game. THE FINAL FOUR So, now we're down to the nitty, gritty. I don't see Rupert, Lill, Andrew or Christa really being a big threat to crack the final 4. The people I see as the stiffest competition are Ryan O, Tijuana, Shawn, Burton and Michelle, with Michelle falling just short of the final show. My Final 4 this time around are: Ryan O, Tijuana, Burton and Shawn. Now, if I have to lay it all on the line, I think the alliance of Burton and Shawn will be strong. I think they'll control the immunity necklace at the end of the game and I think they'll be the final 2 guys vying for $1,000,000. And when all is said and done, Shawn is more likable and more genuine and that will carry him to victory. Ladies and gentlemen, your winner of Survivor: Pearl Islands...Shawn Cohen. If you'd like to agree with me, bash me for my picks or just have some comments you'd like to share with me, please feel free to send an email right here! A reminder to everyone reading this that you can find Survivor: Pearl Islands on CBS beginning Thursday, September 18 at 8pm EST/7pm CST. And a further reminder, be sure to check back right here at The Trades for the weekly version of the S-Ratings, where The Trades staff will try to predict who will be the next person kicked out of the tribe. Oh yeah, and don't forget the weekly Lost and Delirious recaps. Heh heh. So, let's break out the rum, the parrots on our shoulders...let's put on our eye patches and practice up on our best "ARGHHHHHH"s and prepare for Survivor - Pirate style. I know I can't wait! Until then, take care and God bless.
For all your Survivor News, Links, Interesting Tidbits check out these sites: Sirlinksalot's Survivor 7 Page | SurvivorNews.net | SurvivorUpdates.com | Jakey's Corner |
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Background: Burton Roberts is the first of 4 new Survivors hailing from The Recall State, aka California. A marketing exec for a start-up software company, 31 year old Roberts has spent time in Houston, TX and St. Louis, MO earning 2 Bachelor degrees and a Masters degree in business administration. He loves adventure racing, mountain biking and traveling and describes himself as adventurous, funny and a hard worker. He feels his experience as an Eagle Scout and adventure racer will help him and he believes his strength, smarts and his ability to take care of himself will serve him well in the Pearls.
Background: Christa Hastie, a computer programmer, is our 2nd Californian on the cast. She's engaged to a racecar driver, and has learned enough about cars to be a part of his pit crew. Aside from tinkering on cars and computers, she also enjoys designing and making fun and unique clothes. She describes herself as an extrovert, but says she is also genuine and "chameleon like" in that she can fit into any situation. She did 4 years as a lifeguard through high school and is most proud of her bachelor's degree. She also figures her touch in the kitchen will aide her in her hopes of becoming the sole survivor. And last, you certainly won't unexpectedly see her on The Smoking Gun this season, as she was upfront with CBS about her arrest in college for jumping on the hood of her car (as it was being towed). The official charge, "disrupting an officer's ability to perform his duties."
Background: Next up is Jon Dalton from Danville, VA. He's moved through Washington, DC, Portland, OR and Los Angeles where he's held jobs varying from an art consultant to radio and phone sales to an assistant to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. He describes himself as sharp, quick and amazing and feels his organizational skills, leadership ability and work ethic make him the perfect survivor. And, shockingly, he's still single. C'mon ladies...how can you let a prize bull like this go unclaimed?
Background: Michelle Tesauro hails from Washington, DC, but was born and raised in Pittstown, NJ. She's a recent graduate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute with a BS in business and marketing. She's held many jobs including lifeguard, marketing intern and with the Universal Cheerleaders Association. Her favorite hobbies include reading, gymnastics and stunting. She feels her sense of humor will help her through the tough times on Survivor and describes herself as imaginative, clumsy and athletic. She also says that she is a lot tougher than people give her credit for.
Background: Rupert Boneham is our next contestant and hails from Indianapolis, IN. He is a clinical and vocational mentor for troubled teens and seems to truly love his work. His past jobs have included digging graves and *WHOOP, WHOOP, WHOOP* here's our resident bartender!!!! His hobbies are camping, scuba diving and collecting coins. He feels his skills as a survivor, hunter and gatherer and his ability to be a team player will serve him well on Survivor. He describes himself as strong, brave and smart and is most proud of becoming self-employed so as not to fall into the guidelines of the 9-5 world. He is married (Laura) and has a 4-year old daughter, Raya.
Background: And coming to us from Ft. Lewis Washington is Sandra Diaz-Twine, an office associate for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. She's held many positions in the service and her favorite hobbies are camping and fishing. She and her husband, Marcus, have 2 children, Tatiana and Alanna. She describes herself as dedicated, a team player and adventurous. She believes her ability to improvise and her small knowledge of hunting will serve her well on Survivor. She feels she possesses good field skills and will be a good provider.
Background: Shawn Cohen is a New York City boy transplanted to Hollywood. Cohen, a former account executive for an advertising agency, is called "The Ultimate Salesman" by his friends and family. His hobbies include going to the movies, film editing, surfing, snowboarding and camping. He describes himself as charismatic, caring and spontaneous and feels he'll do well on Survivor because he's competitive, never quits, is a problem solver and someone who works extremely well under pressure. Yes ladies, Shawn is single and living in Hollywood. Go get him, girls!
Background: And this year's entry in the Rev John/Matthew "I am way too proud of myself and it shows in my bio" sweepstakes is Trish Dunn from Annapolis, MD. She's always worked in some sort of sales job, be it media, advertising or investments. She has a BS from the University of Maryland and lists her favorite hobbies as marathon running, bungee jumping, rock climbing, hiking and anything that challenges her (she recently learned how to snowboard). She's completed 24 marathons, including 10 Boston marathons and considers herself to be focused competitive and loyal. She feels she's ready for Survivor because her athletic skills make her a useful member of the tribe. She further describes herself as extremely competitive, an excellent swimmer, a born leader and a gifted problem solver. I'd list the organizations she belongs to, but I simply don't have the space for all that.
Background: From the windy city of Chicago blows in Andrew Savage, an intellectual property attorney with a major Chicago law firm. Savage has a doctorate in law from the University of Cincinnati and has spent extensive time in South Africa where he owned an import/export business with his wife, Stephanie. Andrew considers himself athletic, adventurous and ambitious and lists rugby, cross training and playing with his kids (Mackenzie and Skyleur.) Andrew takes his cue from Nelson Mandela, who he considers to be the ultimate Survivor and feels his intelligence, athleticism and his ability to get along with everyone will help him emulate his hero, Mandela.
Background: And the award for the "Best Job for a Survivor Contestant" goes to Darrah Johnson, a 22 year old mortician from Liberty, MS. She's also held jobs as a waitress, fitness trainer and as a salesperson. Darrah's favorite hobbies include riding 4-wheelers, working out and hunting. She describes herself as daring, outspoken and adventurous. Her favorite sports are softball and basketball and her primary motivation for participating in Survivor is for the challenge and the fact that she'd love to meet new people from all over the world with different personalities. She feels she will do well on Survivor because she's hard working, competitive, ambitious, athletic, determined and in great physical and mental health.
Background: From Cincinnati, OH comes Lillian "Lill" Morris, a Boy Scoutmaster for the past 11 years. She's a former customer service rep for an eyeglass company and is very proud of her participation in Thailand for her company's "Gift of Sight Program" where she helped pass out some 23,000 pairs of glasses. Her favorite hobbies include camping, backpacking through the Philmont Scout Reservation in Arizona and canoeing in Ely/Upper Michigan. She feels she's ready for this adventure because of her outdoor skills, leadership, patience, ability to be a team player, tolerance, acceptance, positive attitude and resourcefulness...and she considers herself adventurous, outspoken and daring. Lill currently lives in Loveland, OH with her husband of 30 years, Lonnie. She has 2 grown children, Clayton and Megan.
Background: Getting back to California, we have Nicole Delma, a sports massage therapist on the pro-volleyball tour. She left her home in Washington to use her full scholarship to Santa Clara University, where she got a BA in communications. She then went to school to become a certified massage therapist. She's also worked as a medical assistant, media buyer and (here it is again) bartender!! Nicole describes herself as strong, resourceful and a risk taker. Her hobbies include racing/running in marathons, training and gourmet cooking. And she feels she'll be useful as a survivor because she grew up in the outdoors and camped, hiked, biked and kayaked her way through the wilderness on islands every summer. She believes she's perfect for this adventure because she is in peak physical condition, young, energetic, certified in sports massage and medically trained.
Background: Osten Taylor comes to us from the South of Boston (I wonder, does that make him a Southie, a la Affleck and Damon...but I digress) and describes himself as focused, outspoken and personable. He's currently an equity trade manager and is proud of fulfilling a childhood dream of working on Wall Street. His favorite hobbies include golf, fitness training and "boozing with the fellas from UNH & The Braintree Boyz in Bean-Town." He feels he's ready for Survivor because of his resourcefulness, mental stability, wisdom, patience and God's blessing. Originally born in New Hampshire, Osten is 27 and single.
Background: The first of the "Ryans" and last of the Californians is Ryan Opray, an electrician from Los Gatos, CA. He's also held jobs as a traffic signal technician, motorcycle mechanic and warehouse stockperson. He describes himself as funny, aggressive and clever. His hobbies include motocross and weightlifting. He feels he's ready for Survivor because of his strength and his ability to build things. Folks, I tried to stretch this out as much as possible, but that's about it. 
Background: Ryan #2 is Ryan Shoulders from Clarksville, TN. His favorite hobbies include writing/recording his own punk and electronic rock music, watching and creating movies and going to rock concerts. Favorite sports include indoor soccer, basketball and Capture the Flag. He describes himself as unpredictable, creative and fascinating and feels he'll do well on Survivor because he is creative and has a resourceful mind for problem solving. He has five dogs, one of which is three-legged and currently lives alone. He's 23 years old and single. Please ladies, don't email me...I don't know his number. 
Background: Ladies and gentlemen, hailing from the great city of St. Louis, MO and a former cheerleader for St. Louis University (my employer) is Tijuana Bradley. YEA!!!!! Tijuana's currently single and waitressing after recently resigning from a position in pharmaceutical sales. She's got a BA from SLU and has worked at a network affiliated TV station and been a high school cheerleading coach. Her favorite hobbies are fishing, skydiving and taking her nieces out to different entertainment and educational events. She belongs to Big Brothers/Big Sisters and volunteers at women's and homeless shelters. She describes herself as perky, emotional and genuine. She believes her sense of logic, attention to detail, athleticism, expression, motivation, ability to be realistic and nurturing nature make her a perfect candidate for Survivor.| Copyright © 1997-2009 Burlee LLC. All rights reserved. | Reprints | Privacy Policy | Disclosure | About Us/Contact Us | RSS Feed |