Survivor Second Chance cast member Spencer Bledsoe may have been an epic underdog his first time around on the show, but for season 30, he’s sure to be seen as a much bigger threat. Survivor Cagayan host Jeff Probst famously said Spencer had “zero percent chance of winning” when the season started out. He ended up having to eat those words when Spencer almost did just that.

Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance Cast Then & Now - Spencer Bledsoe (CBS)
Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance Cast Then & Now – Spencer Bledsoe (CBS)

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Series superfan Spencer Bledsoe milked his extensive knowledge of the show into a 4th place finish on Survivor Cagayan, and became a popular fan favorite. Which means the other castaways aren’t going to take him nearly so lightly this time around. If his fellow castaways on Survivor Cagayan had known Spencer was a World Open chess champion, they might have underestimated him a bit less.

Spencer’s skills in game theory and strategy translated into an amazing ability to win challenges, and somehow manage to work his social game just enough to be useful to keep around without being too much of a threat. Until right at the end, of course, when everyone left in the game realized he would be major problem for them in a Jury vote.

For Survivor Cambodia Second Chance, Spencer Bledsoe will be part of the Ta Keo (green) tribe, along with Jeff Varner, Kelley Wentworth, Kelly Wiglesworth, Peih-Gee Law, Shirin Oskooi, Abi-Maria Gomes, Terry Deitz, Vytas Baskauskas, and Woo Hwang. (Full Survivor Second Chance cast list.)

With three other members of Survivor Cagayan also on season 30, including Second Chance tribe mate Woo Hwang, Spencer will already be considered much more of a threat to the other castaways right from the start. The expectation may be that Spencer will have a head start on making an alliances, but we don’t think that’s necessarily true. Let’s not forget that Spencer argued for the Jury to vote against Woo at the Final Tribal Council last time around, telling everyone to vote for Tony because Woo was just his pawn.

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On Survivor Cagayan, Spencer Bledsoe said he was basically the “Charlie Brown” of the cast when he first came on the show. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Spencer said he was a huge underdog and he totally overestimated his own skills. Even so, he still managed to make it all the way to the final four, which is no mean feat.

For Survivor 2015 Second Chance, Spencer will still have a wealth of show knowledge under his belt to help him, but he also plans to “focus more on the people around me and less on getting lost in my own head.”

Spencer believes he will be able to get where he wants to in the game this season by building better relationships with the other castaways. “It’s time for Charlie Brown to bust out of the peanut gallery,” Spencer said.

Will Spencer go from underdog to head of the pack? Find out when Survivor Cambodia Second Chance debuts on CBS September 23, 2015.

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Photos: CBS, and Spencer Bledsoe Facebook, Instagram & Twitter