The first player with Dwarfism to compete in Survivor, Leif Manson, turns 33 today. He had a “blink and you’ll miss it” edit on Survivor: One World.
Player: Leif Manson
Occupation: Phlebotomist
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Season: Survivor: One World
Tribes: Manono (Orange Buff), Tikiano (Black Buff)
Finished: 9th out of 18 Survivor castaways, 4th member of the jury
Survivor: One World was an odd season. Players started out on one island, with tribes divided by men and women. Most castaways stuck strong along the boys vs. girls alliance lines, siding with their friends in order to compete to become the sole survivor. However, with the two tribes split up and forced to work together as men and women, Leif Manson started to emerge from the scene.
Today is Leif Manson’s birthday, as the San Deigo native turns 33. He didn’t have a strong presence on the show (he had four confessionals in total), but it was due to him being a fairly stealthy tribal voter pre-merge. Making the first tribe swap, Leif had the opportunity to sway the numbers as the swing vote between Alicia Rosa and Christina Cha. His ability to swing between voting blocs and alliances put him in a tough position when his decision would become so prominent. Fortunately for Leif, he didn’t have to make that decision, as Colton got medevac’d out, and the tribes were merged.
Leif Manson was a fierce competitor at challenges, although he did not win individual immunity on Survivor: One World. After the merge, he came in second in a challenge where he had to hold his chained hand above his head. As players have done well in this challenge in the past, Jeff Probst offered food to those who would drop down. Leif Manson, believing he was safe, dropped out at 2nd place for three cheeseburgers, fries, and a beer.
It wasn’t enough to earn him good graces with his tribe, who saw Leif as wishy-washy, and he was voted off at the following tribal council. Still, as someone who wanted to represent the Little People community, Leif Manson showed the heart of a warrior and the spirit of a humble man.
Happy birthday, Leif Manson!