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: Ricard Foyé
Age: 34
Season: Survivor 41, 2021
Finish: 5th place
HIGHLIGHTS
There have been many iconic alliances in Survivor, from massive alliances that steamrolled their way to the end to unparalleled duos who masterminded their tribe’s decimation to remain on top. There have also been duos who were forced to target each other as they were each other’s biggest competitors, and no other pair has better represented this debacle, especially in the New Era, other than Ricard Foyé and Shan Smith in Survivor 41.
Ricard started the game on the Ua tribe, where he quickly formed bonds with Shan and Sara Wilson. Being hearing impaired, Ricard would use his lip-reading skills to his advantage to gather information for himself and his allies, which allowed him to pinpoint other connections within his tribe. Though Ricard lost Sara in the first vote, this decision only strengthened his alliance with Shan, and together, they voted out the remaining Ua members until the tribe swap. However, Ricard and Shan’s relationship started deteriorating due to J.D. Vance’s Extra Vote advantage, as Shan extended it to Ricard as a sign of trust. Still, Ricard didn’t return it until they were the only two left to avoid being blindsided.
Once at the mergatory, Ricard’s group won immunity, but due to the Hourglass Twist, they were at risk of being voted out before the official merge began. Ricard then survived this imperative tribal council due to his social game. Ricard and Shan controlled the early merge phase, as they blindsided several jury members and made crucial alliances with Xander Hastings and Erika Casupanan. As their duo target was increasing, Ricard decided it was time to cut Shan loose and, alongside Xander, Erika, and Heather Aldret, blindsided Shan at the final eight.
Ricard remained the biggest threat in the game, and with his alliance and immunity winning streak, he positioned himself as a winner contender until the final five. At this point, the other four players decided Ricard needed to leave, or they would all lose to him at the final tribal council. After Ricard lost the following immunity challenge and failed to convince Xander to play his idol on him, Ricard was unanimously voted out, but not before Jeff Probst himself commended him for his outstanding gameplay and also said, “The best players rarely win.”
Other game highlights include Ricard speaking out against the word “guys” to Jeff Probst to make the show more inclusive, winning three individual immunities, successfully voting out all of his original tribe members, and dismantling the opposing alliance, which got him to the final five.
WHY HE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
The New Era of Survivor has been contentious for viewers and fans, to say the least, due to the reduced gameplay days, monotonous challenges and twists, and an overused emphasis on a so-called monster that makes it seem it’s Probst himself at times. Regardless, there is one key point that no one can deny: the Survivor casting has been superb in these last few years, and Ricard is a notable example.
From the second the game began, Ricard demonstrated he was there to play hard. He showed an admirable aptitude for various aspects of the game by adapting to its continuous shifts and turns, solidifying social bonds with members from different groups, and creating one of the most dominant duos the game has ever seen in its long course.
Ricard is also one of the most notorious New Era players due to his involvement in making Survivor more adept to the current social times. He exposed to Probst the reasons why the show should and needs to be more inclusive, leading Probst to change one of his most iconic lines.
The probability of seeing Ricard on the show again is exceptionally likely. Survivor 50 would be a great instance to see such an adaptable, charismatic, yet cutthroat player return to our screens. It is also fair to say Ricard would return with a noticeable target on his back, as others would now know how dangerous he could be as a competitor, though he could use this same argument to his advantage and act as a shield for others. If Ricard needed the experience to tweak his game, a second round could be what it takes for Ricard to take the win home.
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