I believe that the Favorites are just people that the producers picked because they thought they would generate interest.
And my vote for the first Favorite to go is Cochran —
Yep. Although it seems that this crop of favorites is a bit weak, compared to past seasons of favorites, all-stars, and heroes vs. villains. Still, its always interesting to see people taken out of their element into the wilds of nature. It’s also always great to see people who think they are so smart fail so bad.