Survivor South Pacific: Jim and Keith
Jim Rice, 35
Medical marijuana dispenser
Denver, Colorado
Keith Tollefson, 26
Water treatment technician
Edina, Minnesota
Poor Savaii tribe. When Cochran flipped and sided with the remaining Upolu tribe members it meant Upolu then had the numbers to pick off the Savaii tribe – which is exactly what they did, sending both Jim Rice and Keith Tollefson – who early on in the series looked like potential game winners - to Redemption Island. There, they were reunited with another Savaii member in Ozzy Lusth, who ultimately outlasted Jim and Keith in a tense three-way duel. So, it was the end of the line for Jim and Keith and they now form part of the
Survivor jury.
Firstly, obviously you guys are sad to be voted out, but thanks for being part of some great television.
Jim: Thanks, but think of how much more great television you would have seen if we hadn’t been screwed over by Cochran.
Looking at it from that perspective, do you blame Cochran for forcing you guys out of the game? Keith: No, we definitely don’t blame Cochran - we can only blame ourselves.
Jim: I think he’s an idiot.
Keith: Problem was, we gave Cochran the opportunity to take our game in his hands. What we realise now is that, no matter what, if there was any chance he could avoid Redemption Island, he would do whatever it took not to go there. And that was flipping to the other tribe. He never had faith in the tribe that got him to the final six. He was basically only in the game for his own self-preservation. He had absolutely no plan. We made big mistakes in thinking we, as a tribe, were all solid. We should not have come up with this plan of Cochran being a special agent or spy.
Jim: We tried to out-think the game of Survivor. At its heart it’s a primitive game and we tried to make it too fancy, I think. We should have gone in strong and not let them talk to our weakest player.
Upolu’s Coach certainly has a military-like hold over his tribe... Jim: People have used a cult-like reference and I think it’s pretty accurate. There’s that saying, the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. He convinced his tribe that was honourable guy. I have more appreciation for his game watching it than during the game.
Keith: Coach took a page out of Robert’s (Mariano) game (from Survivor: Redemption Island), where he said, you report back to me or consider the possibility of being voted out. You play a game of fear, so no-one has the opportunity to make a move against you. So, Coach has played a masterful game in copying Rob.
Did you underestimate the power Coach had over his team?
Jim: I think we overestimated Cochran.
Keith: We overestimated our abilities. We should have kept it simple stupid. We should have kept strong, not let our weakest player make the strategic move of being the double agent. Once the play was called out Cochran looked like a scared kid in the principal’s office and he didn’t know what to do. He was like, “What do you want me to do now, Coach.”
Was Cochran as bullied as he made it seem? Jim: No, is the short answer. Cochran was supposed to tell everyone he was mistreated, that was the plan.
Keith: It was disappointing that Whitney was left crying at tribal council because she was vilified for something that truly never happened.
Jim: Remember Cochran’s quote, “I finally get to be the double agent I was born to be.” It excited him to do this plan. The kid crumbed like a house of cards. I’m embarrassed for him.
But’s he’s a smart guy, he’s at Harvard… Jim: No. I disagree. He’s obviously a very dumb guy. I’m sure his mum filled out his application just fine. He hasn’t graduated from Harvard. Why would you guarantee you wouldn’t win the million dollars?
Yes, because now Upolu has picked off the other Savaii tribe members, he certainly looks like he’ll be next. Keith: If he had a plan to flip and then flip back and get out Coach, that would have been a smart play.
Jim: Flipping gives him zero.zero chance of winning.
Away from the machinations of tribal life, was it fun to be on the island, or was it all too stressful? Jim: I thought it was awesome. And I’m so going to use the word machinations this weekend. It was a ton of fun. But it’s amazing how much paranoia how much creeps in. You’re always counting how many people you can see.
Keith, everyone’s saying you and Whitney are together as a couple. True? Keith: Whitney and I became very close and I definitely consider her one of the closest friends I formed in the game. As for the relationship question, it will more than likely be answered at the finale. You’ll have to wait until then. Hopefully, people will tune in to find the answer.
Would either of you consider more reality TV? Jim: If there is another shot a million bucks, I’m going to take it. But I have a pretty good life.
Well, Jim, you are a medical marijuana dispenser…
Jim: (laughs) I have a good life…