‘A triple threat Goliath’: ‘Survivor 47’ contestants reveal which former castaways they identify with the most, and their cockiness is on full display

As of Wednesday (September 4), Survivor superfans finally got to meet the castaways who will be competing for the million-dollar prize and title of “Sole Survivor” on season 47 this fall, and it’s safe to say that this may be the cockiest crew to date.

In introductory, pre-game interviews with longtime Survivor writer and reporter Dalton Ross, he asked the group “Which previous player do you identify with the most?” and “Who do you think you will play most like?” For better or worse, everyone’s answers were oh-so telling as to the kind of player they will be. Well, at least the kind of player they hope they will be…

Considering the fact that nearly every contestant replied with one of the Survivor greats — from Tony Vlachos to Sandra Diaz-Twine to Parvati Shallow and beyond — it is safe to say the Survivor 47 cast is coming in with quite a big head, and it will be interesting to see whether or not the contestants live up to the expectations they’ve set.

While castaways like Teeny Chirichillo, Rachel LaMont, Genevieve Mushaluk, and more had responses that were on the humbler side, other castaways were far more arrogant and had us laughing out loud.

The majority of the women of season 47 – such as Anika Dhar, Tiyana Hallums, and Aysha Welch – are coming in with the highest of hopes, hoping to play like the legendary women who came before them:

Anika: “In my day-to-day, I have a tendency to be blunt and straight-forward like Queen Sandra — and I can persuade people like Queen Parvati — however, I think I will play most like Queen Sarah [Lacina] in Game Changers. Someone who is socially aligned with most players. Someone who people will trust, who will get advantages in the games, and someone who is able to deflect being a threat to others.”

Of course, fans drew comparisons to two-time Survivor winner Tony Vlachos as well, considered to be the greatest to ever play the game:

Sue Smey: “Tony. I feel like I will be a combo of Tony and Cirie.”

TK Foster: “My favorite player of all time is Tony. He was always unapologetically him, and I respect that.”

Brainiacs like Kishan Patel went in a slightly different direction, as this particular castaway resonates with players like Spencer Bledsoe. “I identify and hope to play most like Spencer. A geeky nerd who had an authentic yet devious, charismatic while scheming, under-the-radar-until-it’s-too-late gameplay,” he told Ross.

As far as physical prowess goes, while Rome Cooney hopes to play a social and strategic game like Sean Rector and Todd Herzog, he also admitted that he “wants to be known as one of the greatest challenge beasts of all time.” To follow this bold statement, he told Ross that he plans to “truly play the game most like Cook Islands Ozzy [Lusth],” and our fingers are crossed that he lives up to the expectations he’s set. After all, how embarrassing would it be if he fails to win a single challenge?

On a slightly different note, we’re inclined to include our favorite response from Gabe Ortis. Bringing a different outlook to the table, he shared in his interview, “ I think there are bits of a lot of players I resonate with and will emulate, but to be honest, I don’t want people to watch me and say, ‘Wow, he’s like XZY!” I want people to look at players that come after me and be like “Wow, he’s like Gabriel!'” ]

Nonetheless, to see who takes home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize — and to see if any of the above players succeed in their aspirations — tune into Survivor 47 this fall via CBS beginning September 18 with a two-hour premiere. After his sweet response, our money is on Gabe bringing home the bacon!