"Survivor: Nicaragua" Debuts With Pep Talks By Jimmy Johnson
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) Contestants on "Survivor: Nicaragua," which premiered Wednesday night on CBS, were scratching their heads, much as fans did earlier this summer when it was announced that Jimmy Johnson, former coach of the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, would be a contestant.
It was the first time in "Survivor" history that a celebrity had been included on one of the teams and it had everyone wondering: What's he doing here?
Even the 67-year-old NFL smooth talker admitted his celebrity would probably keep him from winning and he used that to his advantage. Immediately targeted for elimination, he was able to escape that fate partly by assuring his tribemates that a jury would never vote for him and his job was only to coach his team to victory.
But, for the most part, Wendy DeSmidt-Kohloff, the 48-year-old Montana goat rancher who was eliminated, sealed her own fate. At tribal council, she asked host Jeff Probst for permission to speak and gave a long, loopy discourse on how she should stay in the game, provoking much eyerolling from fellow tribemates.
In this the 21st edition of the reality TV competition, contestants were divided into tribes by age - one tribe of under-40s and one tribe of over-40s.
It also marked the debut of the Medallion of Power that Probst promises will change the game. That still remains to be seen as neither team this week appeared to advance significantly when they got it. Maybe, they just have to learn how to use it.