Survivor: Tocantins

2-6-2009

[Lee'sGhost]

I can see the entertainment value in that.

[girlscout]

I got a little misty eyed watching it all unfold for Taj and LOL'd when she made the conjugal visit comment.

When Coach's "family visitor" was his assistant coach, I went 'Huh?'. I thought that quite strange. Almost as strange as coach himself. And when he said "Do you know what they call me here? They call me the Dragon Slayer", I thought , you are such a liar. YOU call YOURSELF the Dragon Slayer. I guess he doesn't realize that all this has been televised. No wonder he was fired from his coaching job. He's a certifiable nut case.

[girlscout]

It was the best strategical move that JT could make. It would have been so easy for the girls to band together and vote out the guys if they'd left Debbie in.

I'm so happy for Stephen winning the immunity. This has to be a life changing experience for him and all his geekness.

[Lee'sGhost]

I believe that he wants so badly to be the things that he professes to be and to be seen by others the way that he wishes they would see him that he has actually convinced himself that his fantasy is reality.

Thus my earlier comment...I feel sorry for him. Not “poor pitiful Renee” sorry and not that it excuses his behavior, just that it reveals that he is a pathetic person, not even worthy of contempt. Of all the fates I could imagine for myself, that is probably the worst.

[Travis T. OJustice]

He is pathetic, and yeah, hardly worthy of contempt.

[Lee'sGhost]

I didn’t even think of that. If I was on Survivor it would probably bite me in the butt. I forget to consider alliances based on gender. I think that is because I judge people as individuals based on their personality rather than race, gender, etc. I forget that other people do not think the way that I do.

[girlscout]

In an interview with Sierra last week ...

Coach is a very, very crazy person – the things he says and does are crazy. You don’t want to spend three days with somebody who is going crazy – I can only imagine what he would do. I’m sure he would whittle some nunchucks and kick all our butts… supposedly.

[girlscout]

We’ve seen it happen in seasons past so many times that you almost expect it. Young vs. old, girls vs. guys, etc. This season seems so different though and that’s a good thing IMO.

[Lee'sGhost]

I agree!

[HighWheeler]

“I forget to consider alliances based on gender. I think that is because I judge people as individuals based on their personality rather than race, gender, etc.”

— — — —

You - Conservative.

Hmmmpppff.

[JillValentine]

SURVIVOR RECAP!

Forza (Merged) Tribe: Coach, Erinn, JT, Stephen, Taj

The Jury: Brendan, Tyson, Sierra, Debbie

Losers: Carolina, Candace, Jerry, Sandy, Spencer, Sydney, Joe

Back home.

DEBBIE BLINDSIDED & VOTED OUT

Returning from the previous Tribal Council where Sierra was voted out, Coach pulls Debbie aside and rants about Taj’s vote for Debbie and Erinn’s vote for Stephen. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m backing you up on the fact that they were cowardly lions,” Coach pouts to Debbie. Coach continues to whine and criticizes Taj and Erinn’s decisions as being cowardly and completely against his “Warrior Alliance.”

PLAYING BOTH SIDES

As a new day dawns at the Forza camp, Debbie begins to question her ties to her closest ally, Coach, and accuses him of being a negative force around the tribe. Debbie approaches JT and Stephen and admits that she is having second thoughts about aligning herself with Coach and hints at ousting him next. Stephen and JT sneak off alone near the river bank to discuss this suspicious turn of events when Debbie surprises them by showing up and asking if she can join their alliance. She assures the duo that she is with them one hundred percent and is no longer loyal to Coach. This information comes as a shock to Stephen and JT, who now view Debbie as a wily opponent, scrambling to stay in the game. “Debbie is a very strategic player and I think people don’t give her enough credit because she is sweet and because she is chattery, but she has definitely a lot going on underneath that persona and she worries me a little bit,” says Stephen.

REWARD CHALLENGE: AUCTION

The Forza Tribe arrive at the Survivor Auction and take a seat on the bleachers across from host Jeff Probst, who is behind a podium with a gavel in hand. Each tribe member has been given five hundred dollars in cash to bid on items that will be presented to them. Bids must be in twenty dollar increments and sharing of money or items is not allowed.

Jeff presents the first item: a large bowl of French Fries, which is won by Debbie for one hundred twenty dollars. The second item up for bid is chicken parmesan with garlic bread and a glass of red wine. Coach bids the highest at an astounding three hundred twenty dollars. The next item remains covered and is sold to JT for one hundred sixty dollars. To JT’s delight, Jeff reveals the item to be nachos with guacamole and salsa. The next item also remains covered. Stephen wins the item at one hundred dollars and Jeff reveals Stephen’s prize to him – a skewer of chicken hearts. Although it causes Erinn to scream, Stephen has no problem with it and proceeds to chow down. The last item up for bid is a Samsung Instinct cell phone by Sprint, which holds video messages from the castaways’ loved ones. Although only one person can win the item, the castaways are allowed to pool money for this item. JT starts a trend of giving all of his money to Taj, which catches on with the rest of the tribe. Erinn explains that the tribe’s generosity is due to the fact that Taj has a three-month-old baby at home. Taj breaks down in tears at the kind gesture of her tribemates. Jeff Probst officially puts the item up for bid and Taj runs up to the podium and offers up all of her money. Jeff Probst reminds her that all it takes to win is twenty dollars, and Taj makes that her final bid. With both herself and the rest of the tribe in tears, Taj watches her video message from her husband, Eddie George. “See you back at the camp,” says Eddie at the end of his message. Taj completely breaks down bawling and Jeff reminds her of an important line in the message that she might have missed. “There’s one line on there, might have been a little hard to hear…” says Jeff as it finally dawns on Taj. “SEE YOU BACK AT THE CAMP, OH MY GOD!” she shouts. Jeff formally presents Taj with the news that she will indeed be joining her husband, Eddie, back at camp. Jeff then gives Taj an alternative: she can opt to go to Exile Island with Eddie, which will enable all of her tribemates to visit their loved ones back at camp. Without hesitation, Taj shouts, “I’ll do it…I’ll do it,” as her tribemates burst into tears of joy. “Can we go now?” Taj eagerly asks. Soon Taj is off to Exile Island while the rest of her tribemates head back to camp to enjoy time with their loved ones.

THE LOVED ONES VISIT

On Exile Island, Taj is greeted by her husband, Eddie George. They embrace, and Eddie gives Taj a once over, noting how much weight she has lost. “There’s something about the wild, you know, that makes you sexy, you know, it’s kind of a turn on, you know? It’s alright!” Eddie laughs.

Back at camp, the remaining Forza members are warmly greeted by their loved ones. Debbie and Taj bring their husbands. Stephen brings his brother. JT brings his sister. Erinn brings her father. Coach brings...his assistant coach? Huh? Couldn't he find an actual loved one?

I'm starting to feel sorry for him too. What a pathetic way to go through life.

A SHADY PLAYER

The next morning, with the loved ones gone, Debbie is back at her game and presses JT to get rid of Coach. “Debbie’s opened up like white on rice the past few days and that leads me to believe that she’s turning her game face on. She’s throwing Coach under the bus right now and they have been tight since day one,” says JT. “You gotta watch out for people like that,” he continues.

Coach, on the other hand, remains loyal to Debbie and pressures JT to get rid of Taj since she has the immunity idol. “I just have a feeling about it man,” says Coach. JT, however, has the upper hand, and admits to being two steps ahead of Coach and telling him what he wants to hear. Meanwhile, Debbie continues to gang up on Coach, pulling Erinn into the mix. “It has to be every single one of us writing it down,” demands Debbie. “He’s gonna be furious,” she says. Debbie assures JT and Stephen that she is with them until the end, even assuring them that if they do make it to the final three and she has immunity, she will give up immunity to Stephen or JT and gladly be voted out. “I’m happy with third…swear to God,” says Debbie. This does not sit well with JT. “With Debbie making a promise to Stephen and myself, it also makes me wonder what other promises she’s made to other people,” JT worries. “Nobody wants third place in this game,” says JT.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: PROPELLERHEADS

The Forza Tribe arrives on their mat as Taj returns from Exile Island. Host Jeff Probst explains the rules of the challenge. Each player will make his or her way through a series of obstacles. They will dig under a log, walk across a balance beam, under a rope crawl and out onto a field where they will find a series of ten spinning math symbols. Each player will memorize the sequence of math symbols and race back to the answer board, and then write them down in the same sequence to solve a math equation. The first person to get all of the symbols right and the correct answer to the equation wins immunity.

The castaways race out onto the field and begin digging a hole to crawl under an obstacle. JT is the first person through, and he races across the balance beam and to the crawl through. As he attempts to memorize the math symbols, Debbie is right behind him. Stephen struggles in dead last as Coach makes his way to the symbols. Stephen continues to struggle on the balance beam, falling off several times. JT makes several trips to the math symbols, writing down a few each time he returns to the answer board. Stephen spends a long time starting at the math symbols before heading back to the answer board. As the rest of the castaways run back and forth between the math symbols and the answer board, Stephen and JT race to solve the equation. After only one trip to the symbols, Stephen solves the equation, winning immunity. When Jeff asks him how he solved the equation so quickly, Stephen reveals that he used numbers to represent each math symbol in his mind, allowing him to memorize them more efficiently. Kudos to Stephen for coming up with such a clever solution.

THE MASTERMINDS

As the tribe returns to camp, they praise Stephen for his amazing efforts in the immunity challenge. With Tribal Council looming, Stephen and JT meet with Taj and reveal Debbie’s promise to give up immunity if she makes it to the final three with Stephen and JT. Taj laughs at the ludicrous statement, and all eyes are now on Debbie. When Coach approaches Stephen and JT in the water, their thoughts begin to change. Coach continues to hound the two about sticking to the plan of voting out Taj and assures them that they will be in the final three. “Whether or not Debbie is scheming, whether or not Coach is delusional, right now it doesn’t matter. As long as we have a strong alliance, we can pick them off one by one,” says Stephen.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

At Tribal Council, Coach attempts to justify his reasons for being worthy to stay to the end. As a “warrior,” Coach believes in taking the best people to the end to battle it out for the million dollar prize. Unbeknownst to Coach, Taj sarcastically takes his side and reiterates his “warrior” status to the tribe. Debbie comments that Coach’s Achilles heel might be that his honesty cannot withstand the remainder of the game. In the end, Stephen and JT’s original plan was carried out, and Debbie was voted out with four out of the six votes cast against her. Debbie Beebe, the 46 year-old school principal from Auburn, Alabama, became the tenth person voted out and fourth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS.

I'll be back on Thursday with next week's preview and picks.

Imprison Geithner or free Hatch!

[Lee'sGhost]

Guilty as charged.

[Shyla]

You crack me up.

I read about Coach and his “coach”. Seems Coach may just be a little lite in his loafers....

[girlscout]

Ohhh ... I seemed to have missed that little tid bit of information. Looks like I now have a date with Google.

By the way ... Happy Mothers Day!!

[girlscout]

This seemed interesting ... in a Coach kinda way.

Is Survivor's Coach Ben Wade For Real?
Dragon Slayer spins stories, but is he Jonny Fairplay or a real Renaissance man?

Susan Young, Apr 24, 2009
In the words of fellow survivor Erinn, who is this jackass?

Benjamin Wade, who prefers to be called Coach or more recently The Dragon Slayer, joins the list of some of the oddest people ever to play the game of Survivor, ranking right up there with liar Jonny Fairplay, nudist/tax evader Richard Hatch, and lovable pirate Rupert Boneham.

Fairplay became one of the most hated players in the history of the show after setting up his fellow players by making them believe his beloved grandmother had died while he was on the show. Grandma, of course, was alive and kickin'. While we might forgive a little fudging when it comes to playing the game, there's a limit to our tolerance for fabricators.

With his samurai hair style, tribal tats, and self-aggrandizing stories, Coach has become the celebrity du jour of the water cooler set. He says he is the only person in America to have been taught some obscure Chinese martial arts, but it just looks like your basic tai chi to me.

CBS even devoted a "Best of Coach" Web page on some of the man's more outrageous antics.

But is this guy for real? Well, some of his claims check out; others don't. He is a conductor for the Susanville Symphony and was a coach for the girl's soccer team at the tiny Southwest Baptist University in Missouri, but is he a direct descendant of Pocahontas? Here are the top five Coach stories, including the most outrageous -- about overcoming a deadly pygmy attack during a kayaking trip down the Amazon. Feel free to add your own.

5. On a website devoted to Coach and his indie film producer brother Pete, they tell the story of the time Coach met Tom Hanks at a party and told him all about his kayaking exploits. Those exploits, claims the bio, were incorporated into Hanks' 2000 film Cast Away. Allegedly. Maybe. No word from Hanks about that. But we do know that Cast Away fed into the development of Lost, so maybe Coach is also responsible for the hit ABC series. And we expect to hear soon about how he created the Internet.

4. Coach asks Erinn to put a black raven's feather in his hair to honor his indigenous people's heritage. "Very proud of that part of the family," he confides in Erinn before telling her that when he was a surfer, his hair was blond so he didn't "look like an Indian so much." A bio on the aforementioned website claims Coach is a direct descendant of Pocahontas. We're still researching that one. But we do know that his maternal grandfather founded a successful SoCal company called California Jig Grinding, which probably gave him the financial wherewithal to do some traveling.

3. Coach claims he set the world record (6,000 plus miles) for kayaking when he took his trip that included the famous Amazon adventure. Jeff Moag, editor of Canoe & Kayak Magazine says, "I can't confirm whether he paddled 6,000 miles solo or even if there are small cannibalistic people in Peru, although I doubt it. I can tell you that Paul Caffyn kayaked more than 9,000 miles in 1980 and 1981. So, no record."

2. Coach gets his moniker from coaching soccer and most recently was the head socer coach for Southwest Baptist University. That was before Mr. Honesty led the team to believe that he needed to leave them during their season for cancer tests. Coach had earlier been treated for a brain tumor. He says they jumped to the conclusion that was why he was leaving, because he couldn't tell them it was to go film Survivor. The university was not happy when they discovered the truth and booted Coach.

1. "Three people in the world know this story," Coach says as the tribe gathers around the campfire. A military helicopter drops him off near the Peruvian border. Now, we'd believe he could contract someone to do this. It's done all the time. But the military? Even with his claim of being able to pull some strings, it's hard to imagine or swallow that your tax dollars go toward dropping Coach off for a fun trip down the Amazon. Was it karma that lead him to be snatched by pygmies, who beat him until he miraculously escaped their clutches? "It's hard to explain the feeling of being stalked by another human being," he says. Or the feeling of swallowing another Coach story.

[girlscout]

I’m still Googling for that info, but came across this recap article. Those of us here on this site aren’t the only ones who feel as we do about Coach. ;-)

[JillValentine]

I remember Coach claiming to have been dropped off by military helicopter in the Amazon. Another contestant asked how much that cost, and Coach said that it was free because he “pulled some strings.” Uh...how about...no. In that part of the world, for that kind of business, “pulling some strings” means giving (the right) people money.

[girlscout]

Oops! I forgot the link in my last post. Missing Link

I'm giving up on my search for the light loafers. There's just too much stuff on Google about Coach. What I did find interesting is that there are a number of dead links leading me to believe there's some clean up action going on in Coach's Internet world.

[girlscout]

This kayak story is a little different from the one he told on TV.

For Ben, 1996 was a landmark year. He was serving as Vice President of Sports Leagues of America in Los Angeles while working for his uncle at California Jig but he wasn’t passionate about his career choice. He decided to do some soul searching in a most unique way. Starting in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, Ben embarked on a kayaking voyage along the Pacific Coast that would set a Guinness World Record for the longest distance ever traveled in a kayak at 6,132 miles, fraught with shark and whale encounters, boredom, loneliness and delirium. The trek ended when Ben was poisoned by drinking water he had purchased in a village that had apparently been stored in a gasoline drum. Near death, he was found floating in his kayak off the coast of South America by relatives of recording artist Linda Ronstadt who were navigating a yacht in the area.

The Wade Brothers Family Story

[JillValentine]

Coach claimed to have done both of those kayak voyages - one down the Pacific and one on the Amazon.