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: Gabby Pascuzzi
Age: 31
Season: David vs. Goliath, 2018
Finish: 8th Place
HIGHLIGHTS
Gabby entered David vs. Goliath as part of the David tribe and quickly formed a bond with fellow self-confessed nerd Christian Hubicki. After agreeing to play together (not in the sand), Gabby and Christian would vote together at the David tribe’s first tribal council, blindsiding Jessica Peet. Gabby and Christian’s games would continue to circle each other when they were swapped to the new Tiva tribe.
However, at the swap, Gabby’s paranoia began to take hold. Seeing Christian bro-ing out with John Hennigan and Dan Rengering, Gabby felt she was losing her fellow David, putting her on the outs and at risk of elimination. Thankfully for her, the Tiva tribe never went to tribal council, and she made it to the merge.
Reunited with her original tribemates at the merge, the Davids found themselves outnumbered 7-6 against the Goliaths. This would be the start of one of the most epic comebacks in Survivor history, as the Davids came together, sharing information and pooling their advantages to pull off stunning blindsides on John and then Dan.
With the Davids taking control, Gabby’s confidence grew, and she helped mastermind the vote-off of Carl Boudreaux. At this point, she and Christian were working in sync. However, Gabby started to realise how big a threat Christian was, noting that if she sat next to him at the end, he could take credit for all their moves. With that, she plotted to take him out, only to be blindsided herself when Christian played his idol.
WHY SHE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
Gabby was a player we watched transform over the course of her season. She entered the game as the unabashed nerd, somewhat awkward and insecure. Her paranoia almost cost her on more than one occasion. Yet, she overcame these early setbacks to become a power player at the merge, contributing to the David takeover and leading the charge with her own moves.
Her dynamic with Christian made for one of the best Survivor duos in the past decade. They shared funny, human moments, like discussing the logistics of Slamtown, and raw, emotional moments. They were also both smart, capable players, which is what ultimately put them at odds, leading to Gabby’s shocking blindside.
Gabby is more than worthy of a spot on Survivor, whether it’s on her own or with Christian alongside her. Having both players back would make for an intriguing scenario, seeing whether they can work together once again or if they’ll pick up where they left off. But Gabby, on her own without being tied to such a big personality, would also make for an interesting story arc. We saw what she is capable of in the Carl vote, so her coming into Survivor 50 with that mindset could make her a lethal player.
Written by
Yes, please! Bring her back! (ideally with Christian and Angelina as well)