A decade after Stephen Fishbach’s first Survivor season, Survivor Tocantins, concluded, the two-time player reflects on how that experience changed him.
Survivor Tocantins
Survivor contestants say producers gave them fire, food
Survivor One World debuts tonight on CBS, with tribes living together from day one for the first time ever. Between seasons, there’s been a version of the show playing out at Northwestern University, where students are learning about reality television… continue reading
Behind the scenes of Hoarders and inside Survivor Coach’s house and life
I visited Ben “Coach” Wade at his home and visited the set of Hoarders, reporting on both in a Playboy feature story.
Jeopardy! reality TV category includes Survivor, Amazing Race questions
Jeopardy! had a “reality of TV” category last night as part of the Teen Tournament, and its answers included Survivor and The Amazing Race. TAR 16 winner Jordan Pious tweeted, “My brother and I were a clue on Jeopardy tonight!… continue reading
Behind-the-scenes video shows Dream Team’s rehearsal of Survivor Tocantins’ opening trek
Survivor Tocantins started with a long trek through the oppressive heat, and the Dream Team did that, too. Aaron Massey, who was on the Dream Team in Gabon and became the Dream Team coordinator in Brazil, has posted a behind-the-scene… continue reading
Adam Lambert, Stephen Fishbach, JT Thomas among People’s hottest bachelors
People has released its collection of America’s hottest bachelors, and surprise, they’re all celebrities, because we all know you’re not hot unless you’re famous. But although Chace Crawford is on the cover, likely because opening the magazine to see his… continue reading
Ben/Coach says casting threatened him, calls Survivor aftermath “most difficult [time] in my life”
Benjamin “Coach” Wade talked extensively to the Missouri News-Leader, which first reported he was fired from his job as a soccer coach earlier this year. The interview is absolutely worth a read, covering everything from what he’s doing now (“I… continue reading
Survivor wrap-up: JT’s historic win, creating the opening sequence, charity auction
Survivor Tocantins is over, and it’s been another strong season. From my first conversations with the cast to Ben Wade’s firing to Coach Wade’s elimination, never mind everything else that happened, it’s been a dramatic season. I’d place it in… continue reading
Survivor’s runners-up: Erinn’s changed life, Taj’s hurt feelings, and Stephen’s effective losing strategy
To wrap up this season of Survivor Tocantins–which I think was a strong but not great season overall, in part due to the sort of inevitability of the game play the last few weeks–here are the final three’s final thoughts… continue reading
Survivor Tocantins is the lowest-rated finale yet, though not by much
JT Thomas’ victory over Stephen Fishbach on the Sunday conclusion to Survivor Tocantins was actually the series’ lowest-rated finale to date, although it beat most of its competition during the evening. As a CBS press release noted, the finale “placed… continue reading
JT Thomas wins $1.1 million after a unanimous vote, but was “really worried”
In a near-repeat of the Survivor Gabon finale, the nice guy won $1.1 million in the finale, winning both the jury’s vote and viewer votes for fan favorite. But unlike Bob Crowley, JT Thomas won unanimously, becoming only the second… continue reading
Ben “Coach” Wade: “It’s hurt me; I’m human” and “I’m not really like that in real life”
This morning, I talked to Survivor Tocantins biggest character, Ben Wade, known on the show as Coach. He was by far the most entertaining and controversial player, and I was glad to finally be able to talk with him and… continue reading
“Drama queen” Coach finally voted out
Say what you want about Survivor Tocantins‘ Benjamin “Coach” Wade: He made excellent television for 12 episodes. His final episode last night was no exception, and the series’ editors were once again brilliant with their edit of Coach, combining epic… continue reading
A second look at Survivor Tocantins’ final five and jury’s initial interviews
Late last October, I talked to the Survivor Tocantins cast members in Brazil before the game started. I published highlights from those interviews and analysis of each contestant before the season began–but that was also before we really knew who… continue reading
Emotional reunions mitigated by Coach’s back-cracking sex scene with his actual assistant coach
Survivor Tocantins is one person away from having a deserving, non-offensive final four. The alliance eliminated middle school principal Debbie last night after she tried to flip on Coach, and also started making promises about giving up immunity. Basically, she… continue reading