Welcome to Inside Survivor’s 50 For 50, a semi-regular feature highlighting 50 former castaways who we think should be considered for a spot on Survivor 50. In a snake draft, the Inside Survivor team selected ten players each, with the only rule being they couldn’t have played more than twice.
PROFILE
Name: Anthony Robinson
Age: 49
Season: Fiji, 2007
Finish: 13th Place
HIGHLIGHTS
Stuck on the disastrous Have Nots Ravu tribe, Anthony Robinson had one of the roughest draws of any Survivor player in the show’s history. While he did have a strong alliance with Earl Cole, which protected him from being eliminated in the first few rounds, the presence of Rocky Reid and Mookie Lee made his time on pre-swap Ravu a brutal one. Perceived as a weak man who lacked their desired brand of masculinity, Anthony was picked on and bullied for being the odd one out, and so he was cast to the bottom of the tribe.
Despite his challenge flubs, which made him a backup target in the event of idol plays, Anthony survived several close shaves to reach the swap and potential new life in the game. Unfortunately, he remained stuck at the desolate Ravu camp, now with even more toxic masculinity than before and without any of his allies to protect him. After breaking down and admitting he’d struggled with low self-esteem his entire life, he swore to never give up and took his impending elimination on the chin.
At his last Tribal, he finally stood his ground and told off the people who had treated him like dirt for two weeks, finding his voice for the first time in the game to give them a deserved tongue lashing. While he finished one day short of making the jury, Anthony had a compelling character arc and left the island a bigger man than anyone who ever tried to put him down.
WHY HE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
While he’s not a common pick for these fan casts, Anthony’s first appearance is the perfect setup for a great second chance story, as the guy barely had a first chance, if we’re being honest. Being stuck with people who didn’t respect him on a basic human level? Being forced to endure one of the most broken twists ever? Yeah, that’s just plain unfair. And sure, Survivor isn’t meant to be fair, yadda yadda, but you can’t find many players who had to deal with more miserable adversity in the game than Anthony.
Most of his perceived weaknesses come with huge asterisks, so why not give him a chance to really show his skills? Even if he remains a weak link in challenges, he could easily thrive with a different, more kind cast and play a great social game with the almost 20 years of life experience obtained since he played in Fiji. He’s likable, witty, and has the guts to endure the most difficult situations with a smile on his face. Sounds like a great player in the making to me, assuming he can handle the fast-paced New Era.
And as one of the OG Survivor Blerds, Anthony paved the way for players such as Davie Rickenbacker and Maryanne Oketch to leave their marks on the show and prove that his often overlooked and underestimated archetype can spawn iconic characters and even an all time memorable winner. So seeing Anthony return to Fiji as a middle-aged man to witness a more fair game would be a fantastic way to continue his story.
Written by
Hmmm I’d rather see realistic choices….
random Anthony