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Former castaways say good strategy crucial
« on: Sep 14th, 2002, 7:22pm » |
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Former castaways say good strategy crucial
Leigh Ann Laube
Survivor emeritus Big Tom" Buchanan from Rich Valley, Va.
If Kingsport’s Tanya Vance is going to walk away from "Survivor Thailand" as the sole survivor, she’s going to have to be herself, not let her mouth get her in trouble, form an alliance early, and not emerge too quickly as a leader.
So says two who have played the game, and so says a handful of "Survivor" fans from this area.
CBS’s popular reality series "Survivor" begins its fifth season next week, airing "Survivor Thailand" at 8 p.m. on Thursday. The series will follow the plight of 16 Americans stranded on an island off Thailand who are trying to "outwit, outplay and outlast" each other to claim a million dollars.
Among the contestants is Vance, a victim services coordinator for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Sullivan County.
Although filming for "Survivor Thailand" is complete and Vance is back home, Rich Valley, Va., farmer "Big Tom" Buchanan would have offered some advice to her, had he had the chance.
Buchanan figured out early on how to play the game and wound up in the $100,000 fourth place spot in "Survivor Africa."
It’s important to be yourself, Buchanan said recently.
"I would tell her that, with being yourself, be low-key quiet. The third thing is to lay back and let other people step forward," he said. "Be low-key and let someone else be the leader."
Buchanan followed his own advice early on during "Survivor Africa."
"The first part of ‘Survivor’ is totally opposite of what I am," he said. "I’ve always been a leader."
Buchanan said it’s also important to make quick decisions and, once they're made, stand by them. Among those decisions should be to form an alliance early.
"The first day we had to make big decisions," Buchanan said. "On the second day, me and Lex had a handshake deal."
Buchanan formed an alliance with Californian Lex van den Berghe. Professional soccer player Ethan Zohn, of Massachusetts, joined that alliance, which was never broken. Buchanan, van den Berghe and Zohn made it to the final four, with Zohn ultimately winning the million dollars.
Buchanan and van den Berghe remain close, talking by phone numerous times a week.
For van den Berghe, forming an alliance quickly was the only thing he was absolutely sure he was going to do.
"I went in with a real clear idea of what I was going to do," van den Berghe said recently from his Santa Cruz home. "By day two I was completely set up. That was the one and only thing I knew for sure I needed to accomplish out there. Everything else you can’t go into with a plan because everything changes."
It was, however, an unlikely alliance that was formed.
"We had 16 very, very different people. Probably the two people who had the most in common were Tom and I ... and to look at us, what a freak show," van den Berghe said. "You had America’s odd couple — a tattooed superfreak from Santa Cruz and a salt-of-the-earth goat farmer from Saltville, Va."
Buchanan doesn’t disagree.
"The whole time I was traveling, I was watching. You can learn a lot by watching. I tried to analyze everybody. My first impression of Lex? I thought he was a freak."
To prepare for conditions in Africa, van den Berghe spent some time working out and trying to gain weight. And he learned how to make fire with a stick.
"Other than that, with the game of ‘Survivor,’ you’re pretty much ready or you’re not. I sat there wondering what I should do to get ready and realized that really what you’ve got inside of you is what you bring to the game and what’s going to get you through the game," he said.
Being versatile, flexible and being able to change on a dime doesn’t hurt your chances of succeeding, he said.
"Likability is very important. There’s nothing harder than writing someone’s name on that card at tribal council. And pure grit and gut and being able to put up with a lot of physical pain and discomfort ... from sleeping like a dog in the dirt, not eating, being able to deal with exhaustion," he said.
"Resilience to make it through just about any situation and come out of it still strong is important. Versatility and flexibility — the ability at any time to rethink your whole game plan and adapt.
"It’s also important to be able to keep your sense of humor, not let the game get you down. Keep on keeping on when things look terrible," he said. "A lot of ‘Survivor’ is luck and faith and you have to be able to put your faith in situations and people."
A dozen local "Survivor" fans, surveyed by the Times-News, echoed Buchanan’s and van den Berghe’s thoughts on what it takes to be successful in "Survivor."
Mildred Quillen, of Kingsport, thinks the most important quality of a survivor is to "be true to yourself and your morals."
Other "Survivor" fans listed qualities such as "working hard and carrying your weight" and "don’t dictate jobs/tasks to others," to simply being intelligent, honest, trustworthy, athletic, independent, and having decent social skills, patience and the ability to adapt.
Steve Lane, of Kingsport, believes the sole survivor will succeed by "forming a close alliance with one other player, and forming an alliance of four or five."
According to Buchanan, the biggest mistake a contestant can make is to let his mouth get him in trouble. Van den Berghe says it’s not anticipating change.
"No matter how much you think you can get into the game and figure it out ahead of time, she is an evil and harsh mistress. You have to constantly be able to anticipate," he said.
"Another key mistake is trusting people too much," van den Berghe said. "Always realize in the game of ‘Survivor,’ you’re going to be by yourself. It’s just you."
Buchanan agrees. "For a million dollars, friends don’t last long," he said.
Those surveyed by the Times-News believe that a contestant shouldn’t be overly aggressive, trying to dominate the other contestants.
Gina Smith, of Blountville, believes the biggest mistake a contestant can make is "being too bossy and pushy."
Dean Finney, of Kingsport, agrees. He writes that the biggest mistake is "trying to lead the tribe early, establishing dominance, [having a] high profile."
Other fans believe a survivor’s downfall will come with "blatantly breaking your word or boasting about successes," "trying to make alliances with everyone, when actually you don’t intend to keep any alliances," "not doing your part in the camp and not working as a team," "being overconfident," "lying" and "being overly aggressive."
Buchanan recently had the chance to meet Vance at a rally at East Tennessee State University, and his first impressions of her were good.
"She’s like me — outgoing, friendly," he said. "Coming from this area, I know she’s nice, she’s polite. By looking at her, you can tell she's physically fit. She’s charming."
Van den Berghe didn’t speculate on who he expects to outwit, outplay and outlast the others during "Survivor’s" fifth season, but he has his eye on a couple of the contestants.
"Shii Ann [Huang], I think she’ll be fun to watch," he said of the new series. "That girl looks like a real firecracker. I like Tanya a lot. I think your girl from Kingsport has a lot to offer as well."
Part of the beauty of "Survivor," van den Berghe said, is that sometimes the ones you think will fare the best are sent packing the earliest.
"Gabriel, Hunter and Gina were three of my favorites," he said of three who were voted off "Survivor Marquesas" early in the series.
http://www.gotricities.net/article.dna?idNumber=020911134859
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