Finale Sunday May 17, 2009

Congratulations!!!! The tribe has spoken and Dick is the winner of Survivor Tocantins: The Brazilian Highlands.

At the final Tribal Council, JT and Stephen give their opening statements. Stephen is quick to point out that, although he is not an outdoorsman or athlete, he has transformed into a better person having gone through this experience and improved on his survival skills. JT bluntly admits that he could have easily won against Erinn in the final Tribal Council but, instead, did the noble thing and took Stephen with him.

The jury addresses Stephen and JT, asking them vital questions to help them decide who is the most worthy of the million-dollar prize. As the questions get tougher, JT and Stephen begin to turn against each other. Stephen’s defense is that, despite his physical weaknesses, he outwitted the other tribe members to get himself as far as he did. JT professes that he was a natural leader, provider, and outstanding physical competitor. Debbie brings up an interesting point when she asks Stephen if he would have taken JT with him had he won immunity. Stephen stumbles on the question, but finally reveals that he is afraid that he would have brought Erinn with him instead. Sierra lashes out at JT for taking weak players with him to the end. “That just might be your downfall and the reason why you’re not getting a million dollars,” Sierra snaps. Stephen is devastated when JT lashes out, saying that he did not need Stephen to get him as far as he did. The final jury member, Taj, becomes emotional as she asks her two closest allies why they turned on her. While JT apologizes, Stephen attacks JT for wanting to take out Taj because she had a better chance at winning the final immunity challenge over Erinn. This comment prompts an argument between JT and Stephen, ending with JT asking Stephen whether or not he would have taken Erinn with him to the finals instead of JT had he won immunity. Stephen dismisses the question. “I just feel like a fool, man,” says JT, shaking his head.

Having given the final two a chance to plead their case, the jury members cast their votes for the winner. Host Jeff Probst reads the votes live from New York City, and with x out of the seven votes cast for him, James "J.T." Thomas of Alabama won the title of Sole Survivor and the million dollar prize for SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

Survivor is returning to the South Pacific for the eighth time, as its 19th season will be filmed in the island nation of Samoa. It’s in the same cluster of islands as Fiji, the Cook Islands, and Vanuatu, while Micronesia, Palau, and Borneo are not far away.

Survivor Samoa will be taped this summer and air early in the fall, following the show’s typical schedule. At the end of the live Survivor Tocantins reunion, reunion, Jeff Probst revealed that it will have 18 cast members, but there were no other details.

Sunday May 17, 2009

At Tribal Council, Stephen reveals Jalapao’s game plan of sticking together and systematically voting out the remaining Timbira members. Erinn admits that she would not be surprised if the pattern continues and she is the next to go. Stephen scrambles when Jeff Probst puts him on the spot by asking him if his decision tonight will be based on Coach’s philosophy of taking the best to the end. Stephen is caught off-guard and ultimately reveals that he will base his vote on how to better assure him a spot in the finals. In the end, JT and Stephen went against their original tribe and voted out Taj. With three out of the four votes cast against her, Taj Johnson-George, the 37-year old former pop star from Nashville, Tennessee, became the thirteenth person voted out and sixth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

JT final immunity. At Tribal Council, Erinn describes her earlier pitch to JT, in which she argued that JT would have a much better shot going up against her in the final two instead of Stephen. Stephen’s defense is that he and JT have had long-term commitments to each other that were founded on the first day of the game. JT admits that both Stephen and Erinn have made legitimate cases, and he is faced with a predicament either way. Stephen becomes fearful and mentions that JT has made serious promises to him, and he would be severely disappointed if JT went against his word. Ultimately, JT stuck to his word and voted out Erinn, bringing his longtime friend, Stephen, to the end as promised. Erinn Lobdell, the 26 year-old hairstylist from Waukesha, Wisconsin, became the fourteenth person voted out and seventh member of the jury of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

Week 13 May 14 2009

The tribe has spoken and Pat is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Erinn admits that she felt upstaged by the way Coach chose to live on Exile, which downplayed her horrible experience there. Coach responds that those were not his intentions. Before the vote, Coach recites an original poem: “With friend and foe we march to the battle plain, some to seek success, others to seek fame. We play with honor for the love of this game, and with armor or without, we will toil in vain, so that someday, someone, somewhere will remember our name.” With that, the final five Forza members cast their votes. Ultimately, the Dragon Slayer was slain by his tribe. With three out of the five votes cast against him, Benjamin “Coach” Wade, the 37 year-old soccer coach from Bolivar, Missouri, became the twelfth person voted out and fifth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

And like any Emmy-worthy episode of Survivor, it ended with what else...a poem from Coach Wade. In case you missed it:

With friend and foe we march to the battle plain
Some to seek success others to seek fame
We play with honor for the love of this game
And with armor or without we will toil in vain
So that someday someone somewhere will remember our name.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

week 12 May 7, 2009

The tribe has spoken and Kim is asked to leave the pool immediately.

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: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS

Jeff: Debbie, how will tonight’s vote change this game?

Debbie: It will change how this tribe behaves, and I do think it will be a surprise:

Well, you were right about that. It was definitely a surprise...

...to Debbie. That was about the only thing Debbie had right last night.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

week 11 April 30, 2009

The tribe has spoken and Warren is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Debbie expresses her frustration with the drama that has engulfed the tribe. Coach identifies the catalyst as Sierra, much to her disgust. Sierra lays out her reasons for blowing up at Coach and Debbie, citing that she was simply trying to expose their lies. Coach retaliates that Sierra is attacking his credibility, and fumes that Sierra is simply causing confusion and chaos within the tribe. With this, the tribe members cast their votes. Ultimately, Coach and Debbie got their way, and Sierra was voted out with four of the seven votes cast against her. Sierra Reed, the 23 year-old model from Los Angeles, California, became the ninth person voted out and third member of the jury of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.


Quote from this episode: Coach insisted, “I have not lied in this game, nor will I,” which was a lie among his many lies, and then lied, “We did not ask you for an alliance.” Does he actually not see the cameras or recall that they’ll offer proof of the lies that come out of his delusional mouth?

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

week 10 April 23, 2009

The tribe has spoken and Cara is asked to leave the pool immediately.

Brendan, the first member of the jury, arrives on the bench as Tribal Council begins. Tyson confesses that he loves every member of his tribe except Sierra, whom he clearly is voting out. With this, Sierra lashes out at Tyson for his constant badgering since the beginning. Tyson arrogantly continues to make brash comments about Sierra’s character, but she snaps back undaunted. Coach defends his method of playing a trustworthy game by stating that his word is his bond. When Jeff Probst asks Coach why he voted out Brendan, a noble warrior, Coach promptly replies that Brendan pitted himself against Coach, which was a direct cause for his immediate departure from the game. Coach continues to define his philosophy of being a “ravenous wolf,” in which he will vote an opponent out if he or she presents themselves as an enemy to him. Coach’s ultimate goal is to take the best of the best with him to the end and openly expresses his complete trust and faith in JT. With this, the Forza Tribe casts their votes, and with five out of the eight votes cast against him, Tyson is voted out of the game. Tyson Apostol, the 29 year-old professional cyclist from Lindon, Utah, became the eighth person voted out and second member of the jury of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

Two quotes from Tyson: “The most powerful thing is friends,” states Tyson. He…does not care for Sierra, noting, "She’s of no worth. I mean, her parents probably love her. I imagine her boyfriend’s probably not that cool."

He calls her on backpedaling and making excuses. She says she’s not trying to do that; she’s trying to prove she wasn’t the mastermind. "I don’t think you were the mastermind; I don’t think you’re smart enough for it. Like really."

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

April 16, 2009 week 9

The tribe has spoken and Karen R. is asked to leave the pool immediately.

Host Jeff Probst asks the Forza Tribe who tells the best campfire stories and, without hesitation, Taj responds “Coach.” She then proceeds to give Jeff the rundown on Coach’s Amazon story, detailing how he was kidnapped by a tribe of natives and nearly killed. When Jeff questions the validity of Coach’s story, Coach holds his ground and even alludes that there were details he didn’t reveal. “Usually when I tell these stories, I try to give the PG-13 version of it,” says Coach. Coach then continues, explaining that he has several scars and tattoos all over his body which remind him of the five, six or seven life or death situations that he has been through. Everyone seems to find this a little hard to believe. “They cannot question my integrity and my honesty. That’s how I’m playing this game, that’s how I play my life,” Coach preaches. Jeff switches gears, asking each tribe member if they have the hidden immunity idol. Each person denies possessing it except for Brendan, to the shock of his tribe. With this, the tribe members cast their votes. In the end, Coach got his way, and “The Dragon” was slain. With four votes cast against him, while the remaining six were split between Coach and Sierra, Brendan Synnott, the 30 year-old entrepreneur from New York, New York, became the eighth person voted out and the first person on the jury of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

A quote from the night: Tyson: (Regarding voting out Sierra) "It probably won't win me her vote...(long pause) but it might win me everybody else's vote!"

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

April 9, 2009 week 8

Due to injury, the tribes did not speak, but Lauren has to leave the pool immediately.

Throughout all of the seasons of CBS’ Survivor, injuries haven’t taken too many survivors out of the game. It all started with Michael back in Outback during the second season of Survivor when he fell into the fire hands-first. Last week on Survivor Tocantins it was Austin, Texas Real Estate salesman, Joe Dowdle, who was bitten by the injury bug and had to be air-lifted to hospital after nursing an infection that wouldn’t go away.

Although Joe made it to the Survivor Tocantins merge, the ex-Jalapao tribe member couldn’t hang around long enough to form new alliances since Survivor host Jeff Probst noticed the cut on Dowdle’s knee was swelling out of control. However, the Tocantins twist in the episode came after the merged Jalapao tribe members took control of the game but were told there wouldn’t be a Tribal Council due to Joe’s injury. After Jeff let the newly merged “Forza” tribe know they’d be continuing the game minus a tribe mate, Joe was air-lifted to hospital in Brazil to make sure the injury didn’t put his life in jeopardy.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

April 2, 2009 week 7

The tribe has spoken and quite sadly, Karen D. is asked to leave the pool immediately.

The Survivor castaways return from Exile for the immunity challenge. This is a puzzle challenge. Debbie sits out. The tribes must shoot a slingshot to break tiles which will reveal tiles behind them. As Tyson breaks the first tile, the second is revealed and the first puzzle bag is released. Jalapao gets their first tile when JT breaks it. Sand releases from a bag to slowly show a second tile which must be broken to release the second bag. Timbira gets their third bag and goes to work on the puzzle which can only be solved by two tribe members. JT continues to hit at the third tile and finally he gets sand moving faster, which releases the third bag. Both tribes are working on the puzzle, but Timbira is ahead. Jalapao works hard to pick up the pace but Timbira thinks that they have it. They do and they win immunity. JT feels badly that his tribe didn't win. Jalapao has a date with Jeff Probst tonight for tribal council. Sydney is concerned that she will be leaving in spite of reassurances from the men on the tribe that she is safe.

Joe checks tree mail at the camp and discovers Taj's mock idol. He thinks it is the real one and that he is safe. Taj is marked to go by Sydney, but Taj feels that she has JT and Stephen to keep her safe. JT feels that it is also his idol and there is no way he can vote it out of his game. Sydney is looking on from shore when the men get in the water to chat. Joe finds out that they want to keep Taj. Joe is surprised and says that he can't be onboard with them when they say that they want to keep Taj and tells them that he gave her his word to keep her to the merge. Privately he feels that he might make a point by giving it to Sydney. JT and Stephen talk about the idol and how it is now in Stephen's possession. If they take out Taj, they will still have the idol with them. The conversation is left unfinished for the audience as the tribe goes to tribal council.

Jeff asks how much the vote tonight will focus on the merge and Joe says that this vote will hinge on trust. Taj is asked about her relationship with Brendan from the other tribe and she says that her role could be to use that relationship to get them to flip. Sydney says that she has no relationship with the other tribe and her strength is loyality to her tribe.

The votes:
Sydney, Taj, Taj, Sydney, Sydney. Sydney is the sixth person voted out of Survivor Tocantins. She brings her torch and leaves quietly. There is no joy from the others when she leaves. Jeff reminds them that if they do merge down two members, they have their work cut out for them. With that, he sends the survivors back to camp.

Next time on Survivor:

The two tribes merge and Timbira feels that they will vote them off one by one.

Sydney's last words:

She feels her tribe is in poor shape going to the merge and wonders if Taj will use the relationships she has made. She feels that just getting the chance to compete on Survivor Tocantins is a blessing and she enjoyed the experience.

Coach once again wins the quote of the night:

Coach: “I probably won’t make a second pot…for my beans.”

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

March 12, 2009 week 5

The tribe has spoken and Tom is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Spencer openly admits that he is embarrassed by his minimal efforts during the immunity challenge, which led to their loss. Taj explains her reasons behind blowing up on Joe and the other tribe members. “It’s just a feeling you get that your head is next [and] I was hot, so whoever was there was going to get it, and I didn’t care who it was.” Spencer shares the horror of having the same gut feeling as Taj when his tribemates gave him similar vibes after the immunity challenge loss. Joe asks Taj to bluntly state that she does not have the hidden immunity idol, and she wins his trust by looking him in the eye and saying that she does not have it. “I believe her,” says Joe. With this, the tribe members cast their votes, and Taj’s life in the game was spared. With five out of the six votes, Spencer was voted out. Spencer Duhm, the 19 year-old student from Lakeland, Florida, became the fifth person voted out of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

OKAY LISTEN UP: Because of NCAA basketball on CBS, our schedule will change a bit over the next 3 weeks. Here it is:

March 19 (next week): We are NOT on at all! (Bummmmer, I know.)

March 25: We are on WEDNESDAY NIGHT with a really cool “never before scenes” special. There are some great scenes that will crack you up, including Coach conducting. It’s really good stuff. I know a lot of you guys hate this episode so we worked especially hard to make it rock! One of our best producers Daren sweated night and day for weeks to find stuff worthy of your time. Give it a shot if you’re around.

Thursday, April 2: WE ARE BACK! I’ve just seen the episode. It’s fantastic. You’re gonna love the rest of this season.

Quote of the week:

Charmin Café – The tribe enjoys their coffee and pastries. J.T. gets up to stretch and finds a collection of envelopes sitting in a hammock. Excitement breaks out as the Survivors scream to one another:
S.ydney: Oh cool, what is it!!!?
J.T.: I don't know what it is.
Joe: Is it a menu?
(Beat)
Taj: Is it a gift certificate?!!!

"Is it a gift certificate?" "Is it...a...gift certificate." Yeah Taj, it's a Survivor gift certificate. Good for use at your local Survivor store where you can buy anything your imagination can dream up! It's only good for one year so be sure to use it soon. Restrictions apply, consult the back of your gift certificate for full details. Clearly, Taj loves her gift certificates and when that is the first thought that comes to your mind you obviously get them quite often. Evidently Eddie is very good to Taj.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

March 5, 2009 week 4

The tribe has spoken and Erin is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal council, Jeff asks Sandy if she thinks she's recovered since the first day when she was seen as the weakest link. JT says Sandy is like the mother of the tribe and takes care of them so they like to have her around. Jeff asks Sandy how much time she reflects on her age, especially being in such a young, attractive tribe. She comes out and says that the age factor definitely plays a part but "some people" use their beauty to get ahead. It's clear she's talking about Sydney. Sydney admits that she has a flirtatious personality and is used to being stereotyped about her looks because it's her profession. Oh, she's a model. Taj says it's no surprise that the boys want to align with her because she's obviously gorgeous but it is what it is. She's not worried about it. Steven cautions if she's only seen as a flirt, she may not be seen as a value.

It's time to vote. Sydney votes for Sandy and vice versa. Jeff reads the votes. Sandy. Sydney. Joe. Sandy. Sandy. Fourth person voted out is Sandy. The boys choose beauty over age.

The tribes are now even, six to six. It's a brand new game.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

February 26, 2009 week 3

The tribe has spoken and Sandy is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Erinn announces her frustration when her tribe members ignored her leadership during the immunity challenge, which caused them to lose. Jerry agrees that his tribe needs a leader in order to progress, and chooses Brendan. Coach immediately steps up and suggests that he would love to be the leader of the tribe because that is what he does for a living. Erinn cringes at Coach’s arrogant remarks, saying that she feels that although Coach is used to being a leader, Brendan fills that role better. Coach snaps at Erinn’s remark, citing that their personalities clash. “It sounds like what you’re struggling with a little bit is ego,” Jeff Probst replies. “It’s not about ego because I would rather tow the line and be a good assistant coach than be a head coach and stroke my ego,” Coach smugly responds. With this, the tribe members cast their votes. Ultimately, Erinn escaped the vote, and Jerry was voted out with six out of the seven votes cast against him. Jerry Sims, the 49 year-old U.S. Army Sergeant from Rock Hill, South Carolina, becomes the third person voted out of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

The quote of the day:

Tyson: I love seeing people cry when you crush their dreams.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

February 19, 2007 week 2

The tribe has spoken and Brendan is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Sierra admits that the first vote against her was valid due to her physical condition at the time. Candace complains that she resented Sierra for getting the opportunity to take a helicopter to camp while the rest of the tribe hiked for four hours. When Brendan’s stay on Exile is brought up in the discussion, Coach declares that he trusts Brendan one hundred percent. Erinn snaps that trusting people this early in the game is impossible. With this, the Timbira members cast their votes. In the end, Coach’s plan worked, and Candace was voted out with seven of the eight votes cast against her. Candace Smith, the 31 year-old attorney from Dayton, Ohio, became the second person voted out of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

February 12, 2009 week 1

The tribe has spoken and Brandon is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Sandy is singled out as the tribe outcast based on the first vote, and it is the general consensus that she did nothing to redeem herself at camp. Sandy defends herself by stating that, although she acknowledges this, she was simply trying to regroup on her own. Sandy demonstrates her various eccentricities while attempting to plead her case. "The old lady can also fit into this tribe of all these kids that could be mine," she exclaims. Jeff Probst bluntly asks her, "Sandy…you a little crazy?" "Oh I'm a lot crazy," she humbly replies to the amusement of her tribe. The spotlight then turns to Carolina, who openly admits to voicing her opinion when it may or may not be needed. With this, the tribe members cast their votes. In the end, Carolina is blindsided. With seven out of the eight votes cast against her, Carolina Eastwood, the 26 year-old bartender from West Hollywood, California becomes the first person voted out of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

Timbira				Jalapao
Brendan	~	Candace		Brandon	~	Carolina
Cara	~	Tyson		Colin	~	Stephen
Christi	~	Erinn		Dick	~	J.T.
Karen R.	~	Brendan		Erin	~	Sandy
Kim	~	Debbie		Karen D.	~	Sydney
Pat	~	Coach		Lauren	~	Joe
Sandy	~	Jerry		Team Petrella	~	Taj
Warren	~	Sierra		Tom	~	Spencer

February 12, 2009

Welcome back Survivor fans. Best of luck to all contestants as we begin the new season.

Survivor will be returning to our screens on Thursday, Feb. 12 from the Brazilian Highlands with a cast designed to make it the most interesting Survivor in a long time. Survivor will kick off this season with two banishments before the Surivors even set off for their camps. First impressions could be more important than ever before.

"Left stranded in the majestic interior of Brazil for 39 days,” a press release reads, “these castaways will battle scorching temperatures, torrential downpours, and dangerous wildlife all in an effort to outwit, outplay, and outlast one another in order to win the title of Sole Survivor.”

Contestants, who will be divided into two tribes — Jalapao and Timbira — from the beginning, include Stephen FIshbach, a corporate consultant from New York; James ‘JT’ Thomas Jr., a cattle rancher from Samson, Ala.; Spencer Duhm, a 19-year-old student; Sandy Burgin, a 53-year-old bus driver; two models, Sierra Reed and Sydney Wheeler, and former pop star Taj Johnson-George from the girl group SWV.

This season's pairings are:

Dick	~	JT	is a cattle rancher from Samson, Alabama. The self-described country boy believes his experience in the field will help him and his tribe throughout. “Deer, turkey, wild hog, coyote—everything you're allowed to hunt in Alabama, I've hunted,” he said.
Brandon	~	Carolina	26, is a bartender from Los Angeles, California. The half-Panamanian prepared for the show in the most offbeat of ways: have her body hair removed. “I got lasered from head to toe because I'm ethnic in the hairiest sense of the word,” she said. “And I did not want to scare people with my overgrown armpits.”
Brendan	~	Candace	31,is a former lawyer—and current actress and events planner—from Los Angeles, California. She says she'd be willing to eat anything to win the show. “Having to eat something [weird] for a chance to win a million dollars is nothing to me,” she said. “I grew up eating chitlins.”
Cara	~	Tyson	29, is a bike shop manager from Lindon, Utah. The former professional cyclist thinks he'd win Survivor because he'd be good at it. “May as well go and win,” the 31-mph biker said. “And $1 million in two months isn't a bad paycheck.” His strategy: push other people's buttons.
Christi	~	Erinn	26, is a hairstylist from Waukesha, Wisconsin. She believes that her gift to get a stranger to trust her in five minutes will help her a lot on the show. “I work at a nice salon, so if this works out for me, I'll be the new owner when I get home,” she quipped.
Colin	~	Stephen	29, is a corporate consultant from New York City. He goes by many names, but isn't willing to be called by his nickname at home—“Fish”—while in the Brazilian rainforests. “I can't [use it] here because when I can't fish, I'm going to look like an idiot,” he said.
Erin	~	Sandy	53, is a bus driver from Louisville, Kentucky. The tattooed grandmother was one of the first to audition, and thinks she can endure all the conditions that Tocantins has to offer. “My willpower is phenomenal,” she claimed. “On a scale of one to 10, it's a 12.”
Karen D	~	Sydney	24, is a model and interior designer from San Diego, California. She's not afraid to use her looks and appeal to get the upper hand in the competition. “I plan to make alliances with the athletic guys,” she said. “If I've gotta flirt, I'm gonna flirt. Work with what you've got. Right?”
Karen R	~	Brendan	30, is an entrepreneur from New York City. He sees his experience with Bear Naked Granola—which he sold to Kellogg's for $122 million—as a good character-building experience. “I think it's healthy to have everything taken from you and then have to rebuild,” he said.
Kim	~	Debra	46, is a middle school principal from Auburn, Alabama. The self-described adventure seeker still cringes at what the competition could offer. “Digging a hole and going Big Bathroom in the middle of nowhere … having to wipe with your hands … Is my body going to shut down because I can't do it?” she said.
Lauren	~	Joe	26, is a commercial real estate broker from Austin, Texas. His strategy is simple: to persuade people to side with him, or get away when things get tough. “If it works, I will have pulled off something miraculous,” he said. “If not, I'll get pretty far anyway.”
Pat	~	Benjamin	37, is a soccer coach and part-time orchestra conductor from Bolivar, Montana. He's no stranger to the wilderness, having kayaked all 6,132 miles from Baja, California to Colombia by himself. “I'm in this game because I want to change it,” he said. “It's become survival of the weakest. I want the strongest to survive.”
Sandy	~	Jerry	49, is a US Army sergeant from Rock Hill, South Carolina. He plans to take and do things differently on Survivor, as opposed to the way he leads his company of a hundred Army reserves. “I don't want to be the boss,” he said. “The leader gets axed too early.”
Team Petrella	~	Taj	37, was formerly part of Grammy-nominated singing group SWV, and is now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Despite being married to NFL star Eddie George, she is out to prove she isn't pampered. “I'm a 5'9”, 190-pound tomboy,” she said. “I'm gon' tear ‘em up when I get out there.”
Tom	~	Spencer	19, is a college sophomore from Lakeland, Florida. He's been closely studying the game since he was 11, and is now the youngest Survivor contestant in history. His tip to win: “You have to assume they're going to screw you before you screw them over.”
Warren	~	Sierra	23, is a model from Los Angeles, California. She didn't have to try out for Survivor, claiming that producers approached her with an offer. She also claims to not need the million-dollar prize. “Money comes and goes,” she said. “If I'd saved when I was just starting out, I'd be a multimillionaire by now.”