'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' castaway spotlight: James 'JT' Thomas

JT is back to work the charm again.

CBS

"Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" won't premiere on CBS until February 11, but as with every season you can expect a profile of each contestant here leading up to the 20th edition of the popular reality competition.

Today, the focus is on James "JT" Thomas.

Name: JT Thomas

Age: 25

Occupation: Cattle rancher

Location: Mobile, Alabama

Past season: "Survivor: Tocantins"

Tribe: Heroes

Claim to fame: JT was proclaimed by Jeff Probst as "one of the most likable winners [they've] had in a long time." From my standpoint, there's certainly no arguing that claim. He's a nice guy with a Southern drawl that makes us want to root for him. In "Tocantins" he was able to overcome a 6-4 deficit at the merge (really 6-3 once you factor in Joe's injury) and end up winning the game. Of course, he had a lot of help from Stephen Fishbach, his intelligent partner-in-crime (who should be on a future season...I hope).

Is he an All-Star? I would say so; once you take Coach out of the equation, JT is the most memorable character from his season who also just so happened to win. It certainly helps that, unlike Coach, the majority of people tend to like JT. He dominated the game physically in the weeks leading up the end, and with Stephen's help he watched Timbira implode.

Analysis: JT has a lot going for him this time around: he's friendly, athletic, and potentially more shrewd then some of the other men on the Heroes tribe. He can charm some of the ladies, and there have been whispers about a "fling" between him and Sugar that started prior to filming. However, he also has to know that his "country boy" story isn't going to fly this time; unlike "Tocantins," Brendan isn't going to be there to say "I want to make sure this guy wins." He already has a million, and since his victory was so recent he has a huge target on his back.

Prediction: As much as I want to see JT go far in this game, I really don't think it's in the cards this time around. Next to Parvati (and maybe Boston Rob), JT is probably the biggest target out there since his victory is so recent. He's also going to have people like Cirie and Amanda (who already have an established connection) gunning for him. His best hope is going to be in forming an alliance with some of the other guys, but him and Tom will probably be the biggest targets. JT will be gone pre-merge.

Of course, feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and stay tuned for more "Survivor" news. (To check out what Jeff said about a potential alternate for this season, click here.)

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