Welcome back 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: Erinn Lobdell
Age: 42
Season: Tocantins, 2009
Finish: 3rd Place
HIGHLIGHTS
Survivor has exhausted most of its big name players from its teen years, but there are still a handful of stand-outs who were overlooked for past returnee seasons. Erinn is one of those names. Despite battling for air-time with scene-chewing personalities like Coach Wade and Tyson Apostol and playing second fiddle to the JT Thomas and Stephen Fishbach bromance, Erinn managed to mark her place as the season’s resident snark queen.
Her rivalry with Coach provided several entertaining moments throughout the season, and it was Erinn who coined the memorable episode title ‘martyr approach’ after Coach’s self-imposed fasting period on Exile. She could always be relied on for a witty confessional, often acting as the voice of the audience among all the madness going on around her.
She was also a cunning player, knowing when to sit back and when to strike. She wisely joined forces with the Jalapao Three at the merge, contributing to the blindsides of Brendan Synnott, Tyson, Debbie Beebe, and Coach. Making it to the final four with a long-standing alliance of three seemed like a death-knell for Erinn, but she was able to persuade JT and Stephen to vote out Taj Johnson-George, advancing herself to the final three.
If not for JT winning the final immunity challenge, Erinn’s chances of making it to the Final Tribal Council alongside Stephen were very high. That would have made for an intriguing final showdown, and one that could have propelled Erinn to victory. It certainly would have been a closer vote than the blowout we saw between JT and Stephen. Alas, JT won immunity and Erinn was voted out in third place, just one day short of the end.
WHY SHE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
Erinn was a 26-year-old hairstylist when she appeared on Survivor: Tocantins. She’s now a 42-year-old married mother of four boys, who owns and operates her own hair salons. That’s 16 years of life experience, growth, and maturity, which could offer an entirely different side of Erinn should she return for Survivor 50.
Also, she’s been in the running for previous returnee seasons. Unfortunately, the timing never worked out. She revealed on the RHAP Know It Alls podcast that she and her husband were called for Blood vs. Water, but the filming was scheduled during their wedding date. And when Second Chance rolled out, Erinn was pregnant. Maybe the time is finally right.
I think Erinn would make a fantastic pick for Survivor 50. Not only would she bring some old school flavor, but I also think she could do well in the new era. Her game in Tocantins showed a keen ability to adapt and change direction when necessary. There is no reason why the Erinn of today wouldn’t be able to adapt to the fast-paced modern game and prove that old school players still have what it takes to do well.
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