John Cochran is a two-time player and the winner of Survivor: Caramoan, but now he’s also apparently doing Dutch tech support—except not.
The evolution of John Cochran from his first time playing Survivor to his second is one of the more jarring transformations in the show’s history. While lovable for his super-fandom in Survivor: South Pacific, his skills as a player were minimal as he remained timid and tentative on his best days. When he returned for Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs Favorites, however, everything had changed.
While Cochran was still a nerd for the show, he returned as a far more confident player. Throughout the season, he was collected, strategic, and even won an Immunity Challenge—something that seemed impossible after seeing him in South Pacific. His personal growth as a player led to him becoming the Sole Survivor and winning the $1 million prize.
As we’re now eight seasons past his win in Caramoan, though, it’s fair to ask what Cochran has been up to. It turns out, he’s still involved with CBS as he’s a television writer for several sitcoms on the network. Cochran is also apparently working in IT support in the Netherlands—or at least one employee’s photo would have you believe so.
In a definitively odd catfish scheme, an IT specialist listed on a MKB Webpartner website for named Gerben seems to look quite a bit like our very own John Cochran, as pointed out by a Twitter user:
Hey @JohnMCochran, did you know you’re an IT Specialist in Holland called Gerben? pic.twitter.com/UdIPI1jQzY
— Roel (@roelven) February 22, 2017
Naturally, the always witty and snarky Cochran had to respond to seeing this:
Some people become catfish to seduce and humiliate. I do it to offer high quality technical support https://t.co/pFnDo9KoSY
— John Cochran (@JohnMCochran) February 22, 2017
Well, he might actually have a point there. As far as catfishing goes, this is about as harmless as you’re ever going to see. Mind you, that still doesn’t change the bizarre nature of Gerben pretending to be Cochran on the company’s website.
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After 33 seasons of Survivor and entering a 34th, it only figures that at least one former castaway would be used in a catfish. However, it seems fitting that it would be Cochran’s red hair and smile beaming in a picture of an employee in the Netherlands. At least he can take it in stride.