Survivor: Nicaragua Roundtable - Part Two
By BOP Staff
September 16, 2010
Kim Hollis: I do think that Johnson is interesting for the show for a number of reasons. First of all, it does give CBS some very organic marketing opportunities, as they have football on Sunday and can play up his appearance during promos for as long as he appears on the show.
As far as allies, I can totally see people from all sides wanting to ally with him. Because he's rich, if you can take him to the final vote, people might not give him the money. Also, given that he's a motivator (and I'd also say coaches are good manipulators), he can probably get some people to do things they might not expect. I actually think the *only* reason he might be an early target is if he's overbearing and annoying. I can totally see people wanting to have him around for the star factor as well as the "I want to beat this guy" factor.
He looks pretty skinny to me when he's sitting at the commentator's desk during NFL Sunday. I have a feeling he's done pretty well.
David Mumpower: I think that the casting of Jimmy Johnson is the most interesting thing Survivor has done since its inception. If we look back at the casting of Gary Hogeboom, this was a subtle choice and he went out of his way to remain unknown. Despite the fact that he hadn't played in an NFL game since 1989 and was not a famous athlete who got a lot of endorsements, people still figured out who he was.
The producers of the show were so pleased with this result that they specifically went on a search for an NFL player's wife who could provide a different take on this type of celebrity. They found a person beyond their wildest dreams in Tamara-Johnson George, a music artist with a couple of number one singles to her credit. Since she was part of a girl group, she still was not overtly recognizable. She eventually decided the best way to win over her younger male tribe mates was to play on their fanboy instincts by telling them that her husband was Eddie George, a guy who had what was in my estimation a Hall of Fame football career. All of the guys who followed football went nuts and her place in the tribe was secured long term. That's what celebrity does to many ordinary people. They want to be around it as much as possible.
Ergo, the casting of Jimmy Johnson this season is a masterstroke. Bruce, who has never watched an episode of the show, has touched on the why of it. This is a leader of men as well as someone who has one of the most recognizable faces (and hairstyles) in the world. He single-handedly redefined the NFL Draft process, he is seen on Fox Sports every afternoon during the winter and he has been a winner in every aspect of his life thus far. Touching on that last statement a bit more, consider this. Jimmy Johnson was an all-conference player on a national championship football team. Then, he became the head coach of a national championship college football team before becoming a two time Super Bowl champion as an NFL head coach. I haven't fact checked this yet, but I struggle to name anyone else who played for a national champion, coached a national champion and then coached a professional team champion in the NFL. What he has accomplished in his sport is the stuff of myth and legend. The question is how will he integrates his personality into the cast of Survivor.
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