Survivor birthday: Wes Nale (San Juan del Sur) turns 27

One of the only Survivor players to eat 58 chicken nuggets in the space of five minutes, San Juan del Sur’s Wes Nale celebrates his 27th birthday today.

Player: Wes Nale
Occupation: Firefighter
Hometown: Shreveport, Louisiana
Seasons: San Juan del Sur
Tribes: Coyopa (Orange Buff), Hunahpu (Aqua Buff), Huyopa (Green Buff)
Finished: 9/18

There have been plenty of aloof, goofball characters that have made their way to Survivor. Often times, they stand out on their own, acting like the class clown of sorts whether they’re at tribal council, back at camp or even sitting on the bench during a challenge. For a funny character like Wes Nale, however, rarely do you get to see someone outshine them.

Rarer yet is the fact that his loved one garnered more attention.

Wes Nale had his moments to shine, but he was always played as second fiddle to his dad, Keith Nale. It’s a shame, too, as Wes had some good, important, and goofy arcs going early. For one, he was the first to recognize John Rocker for who he was, something that Jeff Kent got away with during Survivor Philippines. Our first impression of him was less than complimentary, especially when Wes apparently lost the flint striker.

He even changed the dynamics of who was to be voted out because he got gassy eating tacos on a reward challenge, Wes Nale became known for his eating habits. In his elimination episode, he even stepped down for some chicken wings and beer, revealing he had once at 58 chicken wings in five minutes to win some sort of eating contest.

Next: Survivor Game Changers: Ranking All 33 Previous Seasons

Despite his goofball antics, he refused the help of his father’s Hidden Immunity Idol when he could have saved himself, nobly leaving Survivor San Juan del Sur as an excellent character worthy of returning in the future some day. In addition to being recently engaged, we at Surviving Tribal will also like to offer our congratulations on turning 27 today, Wes Nale!