Jeff Probst reveals his sleeper pick for Survivor: Winners at War

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When you make up a list of the best Survivor winners ever, that list usually starts off with names like Sandra Diaz-Twine, Parvati Shallow, Kim Spradlin, and Boston Rob Mariano. Three of those four have twice made it to the final two/three, and the only one who didn’t (Kim) is only because she played just once.

No doubt a lot of the focus and attention heading into Survivor: Winners at War (premiering Feb. 12 on CBS) will be on those legends of the game, but often such returning player seasons are won by folks that players and fans are not expecting. As someone that interviewed the casts before the seasons began, I can tell you that Amber Brkich was not on anybody’s radar heading into Survivor: All-Stars, Parvati was not seen as a huge threat heading into Micronesia, and Sandra was not feared by anyone going into Heroes vs. Villains.

So who might be the person everyone is overlooking this time for Winners at War? I asked Jeff Probst for his sleeper pick right as filming started on the season, and I couldn’t help but concur. “Danni Boatwright,” replied the host. “Danni Boatwright is a sleeper. And I don’t think she thinks she’s a sleeper as much as I think she’s a sleeper. But I think she could get, not overlooked, but just sort of passed by early on, like, ‘Oh, I don’t know. She’s fine. She can stay. She can stay.’ And man, that’s a mistake. Danni could win this game. She could win it.”

Danni had a quiet confidence in my pre-game interview that was impossible to ignore, and reminded me a bit of my chat with Boston Rob before All-Stars — another person nobody saw coming at the time due to his pre-jury elimination in Survivor: Marquesas. The host also sees Danni’s hidden killer instinct coming out to play. “I do think there’s a little chip on her shoulder,” Probst says. “I do think there’s a part of her saying, ‘You guys see me as someone who played a long time ago. You don’t even probably remember how I played. You probably don’t give me credit. But I won. And I’m back to win again. I’m not back for the adventure. I’m not back to prove something to my kids. I’m back to just win again, ‘cause I’m a competitor.’ That’s the thing about Danni. She’s a competitor.”

But can those competitive juices fuel the Survivor: Guatemala champion to another win?

To watch Probst talk about his sleeper pick, watch the video at the top of the post. For more Survivor articles, follow Dalton on Twitter @DaltonRoss, and for exclusive season 40 photos and video, follow Dalton on Instagram @thedaltonross.

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