Day 4: Most Intelligent Survivor
Survivor 39-Day Challenge
Much like the previous category, I went back and forth among three Survivors for this one. My basic criterion in choosing the most intelligent Survivor was the balance between their intellect as a person and how well they have used such asset as a castaway, which I think is perfectly embodied by John Cochran.
This Harvard alum wrote for a law school paper a comparative analysis of the Survivor jury system and American jury system, which further strengthens the essence of Survivor being a microcosm of society. That very understanding, plus watching Survivor since its very first season, propelled him to do quite well on his first season.
In South Pacific (2011), Cochran’s social inadequacy showed. While we all knew from the start that he’s a nerd, confessing to be a super fan since the marooning in Borneo aired, this did not help him as much as he wanted to. He was left out early on because he was weak in challenges; and he was on a tribe with Ozzy, one of the most dominant castaways in terms of physical challenges. Such isolation, however knowledgeable he was with the trivial Survivor things, did not give him enough footing to excel that season. He flipped on his tribe at the merge, which was controversial at the time but I totally respect the move. What I did not understand at the time was his apology after he did it. I’d be nonchalant about flipping if I thought that’s the only way to get out of a crappy tribe. But hey, that’s just me.
I understood everything that had happened with Cochran in South Pacific when he returned as a “favorite” in Caramoan (2013). The first time, he was so insecure and so overwhelmed by everything that he was not able to maneuver at all. But he was able to turn his insecurities into assets his second time around, and such difference in self-awareness after just over two years was the key to his success. In just a short period of time, he was able to determine what he lacked his previous season and turned that around.
While still relatively looking like a physical liability in challenges, Cochran’s new sense of Survivor self helped him ingratiate with his tribe and was able to build connections essential to the game of Survivor. He was also able to play the game without putting too much pressure on himself, or at least he was able to hide that fact. In the end, he was able to win a couple of individual immunity challenges, which was a surprise given his fragile-looking physique (he was badly sunburnt on Day 1, mind you), and was able to went in and out of tribal councils unscathed.
In the end, he received every single million-dollar vote from the jury. I don’t know if his paper and understanding of the similarities/differences of Survivor and American jury systems helped him much, but he won, so maybe.
For most people, book smart and emotional intelligence are hard to reconcile. That fact is truly applicable to myself. Cochran was able to prove that he’s smart on an academic level, and also amazingly adept in the confines of a reality competition that deals with real people and emotions. That’s what I admire about the most intelligent Survivor — he was able to balance the two.
Plus he writes comedy, the most intelligent genre of text there is.
Runners-up: Sophie Clarke, Winner, Survivor: South Pacific & Yul Kwon, Winner, Survivor: Cook Islands
