If you've been watching this season of Survivor, then the faux samurai philosophy spouting, self-aggrandizing, platitude spewing, and all-around annoying "Coach" may remind you of a certain member of the K-blog commentariat who sounds as if he swallowed a logic book once. Once. Could it be we've uncovered his true identity?UPDATE:
Apparently Coach's school fired him for not showing up to work. Or at least they didn't renew his contract (a Gerry-style "firing," not that Coach was fired for trying to buck national sentiment on a sensitive political issue, though I'm not entirely certain that's why Gerry was fired either). Apparently when Coach went off to be on Survivor, he told Southwest Baptist University that he was going to be gone for a week and he was gone for two months. Probably didn't call or nothing. Oh, well, with a work ethic like that, I'm sure there's work for him at a Korean hagwon. [Kushibo ducks for cover.]
UPDATE #2:
Coach has been voted off Survivor 18 Toncatins. Woo hoo!
i seriously love coach because of how legitimately crazy he is. survivor is entertaining again!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he realizes how badly he needs to win the million dollars because there probably won’t be any parents who will let this self-named fool anywhere near their kids when he gets back.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, Sierra was tougher than I gave her credit for. She put up the arrogance and bullying of Coach and Tyson while wasting away for a month with those two jerks and Debbie. Even though she was pretty worthless around camp, and absolutely clueless in her two-person alliance, she eventually developed a bit of a backbone. It would be truly fitting revenge for her to be the one standing between Coach and the million in the final tribal council.
Shinbone wrote:
ReplyDeletei seriously love coach because of how legitimately crazy he is. survivor is entertaining again!
He is entertaining, though frickin' annoying when you know someone like that in real life, especially if you are forced to work with or — God forbid! — under such a person.
"Survivor" is far and away my favorite reality TV program and probably the only one I really watch (though I admit I have never given "Amazing Race" a view). I like it for the real-world sociological dramaturgy it presents.
Last season, as I mentioned here, I thought the choice of contestants was a bit too Hollywood glitzy, but this time around they seemed to go back to more "real people" (though Sierra is an aspiring model and one of the women is the wife of a major sports announcer).
So I tolerate Coach's presence on the show because he sort of is a real guy... a real type, even if he was chosen to make sparks fly and get people to keep tuning in.
Tyson is a total a-hole whose type I've run into way too many times in Korea and especially California. I cheered when that shaved Neanderthal was kicked off the show.
John from Taejŏn wrote:
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he realizes how badly he needs to win the million dollars because there probably won’t be any parents who will let this self-named fool anywhere near their kids when he gets back.
I was thinking the exact same thing when he was doing his whole National Geographic-slash-Amazon capture story. The guy is seriously nuts and he's full of crap.
But if he's a winning coach out on the field, there might be people who either enjoy or just ignore his, ahem, eccentricities. He can probably explain away his weirdness and b.s. as "performance art" designed to give him an edge.
It's the school principal that probably'd better watch herself. And make sure your taint aint showing, ma'am.
I have to admit, Sierra was tougher than I gave her credit for.
Totally agree with everything you said about Sierra. In addition to her being a type I'm a (foolish) sucker for (White or Asian or otherwise, the kind you just feel you want to help and put on the right path), I like the fact that she wasn't trying to be on the show (unless hanging out at a certain taco stand was her strategy). Nice little picture with that link, btw.
The fact that she's a model does bother me in terms of the realism of the show, but her type is a real type in Southern California. And the fact that she wasn't the level of narcissistic where she was trying out for the show does earn her some points.
I once was at a Jeopardy-related audition — totally a fluke — and the people in my group were all TV show tryout addicts. Of some dozen people, I and some girl were the only ones who had not already been at an L.A.-area audition for some TV show. They were talking about Survivor, Fear Factor, shows I'd never heard of, and now Jeopardy.
I actually don't like that Sierra didn't even apply (like Yao-Man before and a couple of others in previous seasons). It sort of reminds me of those rigged game show scandals of the 1950's.
ReplyDeleteBut even other current apply in person-driven shows ("Britain's Got Talent") aren't immune (i.e. Susan Boyle) from money hungry producers bypassing the rules when it suits their economic needs.
As for other interesting contestants, one of my favorite crackpots on "Survivor" was the guy who created a wooden blackberry to communicate with the real world back home. I think his name was Shane, and he sort of had a breakdown due to his nicotine addiction.
John from Taejŏn wrote:
ReplyDeleteI actually don't like that Sierra didn't even apply (like Yao-Man before and a couple of others in previous seasons). It sort of reminds me of those rigged game show scandals of the 1950's.
Good point about Sierra and Yaoman getting picked, though I think it's shades of "what kind of people would be interesting or appropriate," not an attempt to fix the game. I don't think either was chosen to be a strong competitor but the program creators also know that physically smaller and/or weaker players often do very well.
As for other interesting contestants, one of my favorite crackpots on "Survivor" was the guy who created a wooden blackberry to communicate with the real world back home. I think his name was Shane, and he sort of had a breakdown due to his nicotine addiction.
If I were a smoker, I'd be tempted to go on Survivor just to force myself to go cold turkey. I don't think cigs are ever a prize on any reward challenge.
I'd be tempted to go on Survivor just to loose the last kilo or so of pudge that I need to get rid of. I've never been fat, but since 27 or 28, when I was eating too much pizza in the late hours at the office, I'd started getting some pudge that I can't completely get rid of despite jogging 5 km almost every day for the past several years.
If only I can find a way to work that goal into an amusing audition tape. (My Jeopardy audition tape showed me in the hospital following my appendectomy, with the theme being that I was doing whatever I could — even filming my audition tape in my hospital gown from bed — to get the tape in by deadline.
For good measure I showed my scar (which is all but invisible now but looked pretty messed up right then) and I decked out the envelope with as many small-denomination stamps as the post office would allow me to put on there.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that Yaoman is probably my favorite male Survivor contestant ever. I was really rooting for that guy.
ReplyDeleteI also like Rupert, just because he was just so likable and he seems like a pretty noble guy for what he does in the real world.
The truth is, though, being a heterosexual male and all (and if you were led by others to believe otherwise, then I say again, you do not know what you think you know — not that there's anything wrong with it), I'm much more interested in watching the young and youngish female contestants.
Candace Smith was a hottie that I found likable recently; every season there's usually one that I follow and root for.
My all-time favorite might be Colleen Haskell (and here), who was just so nice and sweet and cute. Yeah, that's how kushibo likes 'em, but it's only because I'm so frickin' nice and sweet and frickin' cute. Really, trust me on that.
Actually, I don't know why I just advertised myself there. Shinbone's a guy and "John" sounds like a guy, too. But if you guys have sisters or cousins...
Sigh. Kushibo needs to get out more.
Colleen, bug bites and all, really would have made the All-Star version so much better, but then there'd be no "Romber," as she would have stolen Rob's heart instead of Amber.
ReplyDeleteIf you have too much time on your hands, you might want to check out the film, "Fanboys." Kristen Bell is a pretty good substitute for Colleen.