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: Sabrina Thompson
Age: 46
Season: One World, 2012
Finish: 2nd Place
HIGHLIGHTS
Sabrina was one of the very few sane, likable, and altogether normal people on the cast of One World. A member of the all-women Salani tribe, Sabrina was at the core of an alliance that would take her all the way to the end alongside her Day 1 allies Kim Spradlin and Chelsea Meissner.
Sabrina found an idol on Day 2, but it belonged to the other tribe, giving her the power to gift it to Colton Cumbie. The swap landed her on the dominant tribe, allowing Sabrina to coast to the merge where the women enacted their ruthless Pagonging of the men. While firmly in the core of the Salani alliance’s power structure, Sabrina’s more under-the-radar gameplay allowed her to stay out of the spotlight until the endgame, when she organized a split vote plan to eliminate Troyzan Robertson and led the charge to blindside her own alliance member Kat Edorsson at the Final 7.
Despite being perceived as a jury threat, Sabrina’s close relationships with Kim and Chelsea secured her a spot at Final Tribal Council. Her under-the-radar approach to the game earned her two jury votes but ultimately proved to be no match for Kim’s physical, social, and strategic dominance.
Three years later, Sabrina earned a spot on the Cambodia – Second Chance public voting ballot but didn’t secure enough votes to make it on the season.
WHY SHE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
I had to include at least one person who didn’t end up making it on Cambodia. It’s a shame that out of all those players, Brad Culpepper and Troyzan are the only ones who got the chance to play in another post-Cambodia season. Survivor 50 would be a great opportunity to give at least one more player a second chance, even if that’s not the overall casting theme for the season.
Sabrina would be a great contender out of that group: she’s likable, played a strong game in her original season, and clearly has what it takes to win. Her biggest flaw was sitting next to Kim at the end. As a viewer, it’s easy to think back to One World and undervalue Sabrina’s game. Kim’s dominant win looms so large over the legacy of this season, but Sabrina didn’t play a weak game – it just wasn’t as strong as Kim’s. As one of the stronger runner-ups we’ve had on Survivor, Sabrina has a compelling argument to return for a belated second chance and prove that she’s a capable player outside of Kim’s shadow.
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