"Survivor Nicaragua:" Jimmy Johnson Won't Be Crossing the Goal Line
NEW YORK (CBS) Did NFL coach Jimmy Johnson cause his own ouster from "Survivor: Nicaragua" Wednesday night by admitting at Tribal Council that he was among the weakest members of his tribe?
Some of the surprised expressions around the fire indicated the honest admission might have changed a vote or two, but his fate was decided long before his tribe trouped into the meeting place.
Pictures: Survivor: Nicaragua"
In fact, his fate was probably decided the day the "Survivor: Nicaragua" producers chose, for the first time ever, to cast a familiar face, recognizable for something other than "Survivor," on one of the teams.
The 67-year-old Johnson, the oldest member of the Espada tribe, went into the game with a target as big as all of Central America on his back. He had no illusions. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere near the $1 million prize but he was hoping that his usefulness as a mentor and coach would keep him around for a while.
From the very first day, teammate Marty Piombo, a technology executive, was eager to dump the former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins coach. He got his chance on the third episode , when despite Johnson's best motivational efforts, the Espada tribe lost the immunity/reward challenge that involved rolling barrels across the sand, positioning them on platforms and landing sand bags on top of them.
To make the defeat even more sour, the younger tribe refused to use the Medallion of Power, which would have given them a 20 percent edge. They said they could beat the oldsters without it.
Piombo told the cameras he needed "to remove him (Johnson) so people will lose their daddy.'' He was referring to some of his fellow tribe mates who appeared starstruck as they listened to the coach's pep talks.
Which causes me to wonder: What's up with those people? How could they cling to Johnson's every word and still vote him out? I can't help but think that we didn't see on camera all the lobbying and campaigning that went into this castoff.